Handshake snub for Merkel as coronavirus cases rise in Germany
- In a sign of the times, Germany’s interior minister rebuffed chancellor’s attempt to shake hands
- They both laughed and Merkel threw her hand up in the air before taking a seat
Germany’s interior minister rebuffed Chancellor Angela Merkel’s attempt to shake hands with him on as the number of novel coronavirus cases in the country rose to 188 with Berlin reporting its first infection.
When Merkel reached out to greet Horst Seehofer at a meeting on migration in Berlin on Monday, he smiled and kept both his hands to himself.
They both laughed and Merkel then threw her hand up in the air before taking a seat.
Health experts have recommended avoiding handshakes as a way of preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Elsewhere in Europe, France’s government is telling people to scale back on handshakes – and even on the ubiquitous cheek kiss. In Italy, Europe’s epicentre of the virus, authorities are conflicted about curtailing a cheek-kissing ritual that’s rooted in Italy’s Mediterranean culture as well as its strong family and social structure.