Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has urged Israelis to stop shaking hands in light of growing concerns over Covid-19 and suggests instead they adopt the Indian greeting of “namaste” instead.
At a press conference Wednesday announcing new steps to deal with the virus, Mr Netanyahu pressed his hands together in a prayer position and bowed when he made his suggestion, stressing the need for personal hygiene.
Taking to Twitter, the official handle of the Embassy of India in Israel said, “Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu @netanyahu encourages Israelis to adopt the Indian way of greeting #Namaste at a press conference to mitigate the spread of #coronavirus.”
Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu @netanyahu encourages Israelis to adopt the Indian way of greeting #Namaste at a press conference to mitigate the spread of #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/gtSKzBDjl4
— India in Israel (@indemtel) March 4, 2020
Netanyahu, during a press conference, said that several measures will be announced to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the country.
According to Israel’s Health Ministry, the country currently has at least 15 confirmed cases of the virus.
Globally, deaths due to Covid-19 have crossed 3,000. The deadly virus, that originated in China late last year, continues to spread around the world and has infected more than 90,000 people.
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