In recent news about the coronavirus pandemic, people are practicing new ways of keeping themselves at a safe social distance from one another.
In many cultures, greeting a stranger with an embrace is a common way to introduce oneself as is shaking hands. Yet, with the pandemic, some people think shaking hands should be removed from social settings altogether.
Across different cultures, there are different norms when greeting one another. In some places, shaking hands and hugging are accepted ways of greeting. Within Hispanic or Latin cultures, it is also common for people to greet one another with a kiss on the cheek.
With the idea of removing a greeting like a handshake, this could create an interesting issue for some people. If something as common as a handshake is removed, how would people greet one another and maintaining the social distancing protocols once this pandemic is over?
Starting from the most obvious would be simply waving to one another. While it fits within the guidelines of social distancing, it does raise the question of whether that greeting is enough for some people. In certain cultures, physical embrace is a huge part of how people communicate with one another. Even the idea of waving can be rude.
Removing something as simple as a handshake might be out of the question for people in society.
Taking careful steps to know whom to interact with on a physical level is something that everyone should be aware of. Physical interaction has, and always will be, a form of communication for many people around the world.
Human history has lived through widespread disease and pandemics before. Even then, people still choose to greet each other the same way, if not more so. So needless to say, the handshake is not going anywhere anytime soon.