Prince Charles (above) was one among several world leaders who are staying clear of handshakes as the COVID-19 outbreak spreads globally. Other world leaders too are adopting alternative forms of greeting.

One of these has been the traditional Indian “namaste”. The “wai” bow, a Thai greeting which involves hands joined together and a slight bow, has also been spotted.

US President Donald Trump , while demonstrating the “namaste”, said that he and Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar did not shake hands, “We did this. I just got back from India and I didn’t shake any hands there. It was easy.”

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French President Emmanuel Macron has also been seen greeting others the same way.

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