Australia had its first coronavirus fatality over the weekend as the infection rate continues to climb. Handshakes are now off the table, with the virus having some unexpected consequences for both beer and the environment.
Handshakes a touchy issue
Handshakes are now a social faux pas, with a senior World Health Organisation official endorsing “elbow bumps” and “footshakes” as a safe alternative.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced at an event she would not be shaking anyone’s hands. French authorities have also recommended people avoid shaking hands, while Premier League soccer club Newcastle United has banned the greeting.
A poor turn of phrase came from Nigerian officials, who asked stakeholders to “join hands to prevent its outbreak in the state”. In the same press statement, the virus was labelled a threat to “the entire human existence”.
Some unintended consequences
Americans have turned away from the popular beer brand Corona. A survey found that 38% of beer drinkers said they wouldn’t buy Corona beer amid the outbreak — with a staggering 16% saying they were not sure whether the virus is related to Corona beer.
Air pollution has dropped over China as factories remain closed, with NASA satellite monitoring detecting a significant decline of noxious gas. Researchers say the decrease is partly related to the virus, prompting the question as to whether the outbreak has a silver lining.
An online game which teaches players about how diseases spread has seen a spike in popularity, with the makers of Plague Inc urging people to rely on information from authorities rather than the game.
In France, the Louvre has shut its doors after workers refused to go back to work following a meeting with management on how to minimise risk. It’s not known when the museum will reopen.
The message is not quite getting through
As Sydneysiders flocked to Oxford Street to stand shoulder to shoulder to watch the Mardi Gras parade over the weekend, Iranians at the epicentre of the country’s outbreak have continued to kiss and lick religious monuments in defiance of the outbreak. Religious leaders have called the Qom shrine a “place for healing”, saying it’s safe from diseases.
In a similar vein, a South Korean religious leader is facing charges of gross negligence after allegedly hiding the names of affected church members from officials following coronavirus deaths.
Meanwhile, US Vice-President Mike Pence, who has been appointed to lead the administration’s response to a coronavirus outbreak, was caught wiping his nose before shaking hands with doctors and US officials during an announcement on the virus.
It’s also been revealed that more than a dozen workers were sent to receive the first Americans evacuated from Wuhan without appropriate protective gear.
Yes, idiocy continues to march forward.
But, one little acknowledged fact, in the coverage about the Iranian ‘response’ – sanctions.
Medical supplies, from hardware to medicines and consumables, are heavily represented in the Yank led sanctions imposed – increasingly imposed, on the Iranians.
One wonders if, in the wash up, we will see Pompouseo give as a Maddy Albright redux.
Yank “60 Minutes, asked if the Bubba sanctions in the ’90’s resulting in the deaths of 500,000 Iraqi kids (and over 1 million in total) was “worth it’, Maddy responded;
“I think this is a very hard choice, but the price, we think the price is worth it.”
With reference to the Nigerian recommendation, I recall 40 years ago reading in the SLORC-run newspaper The New Light of Myanmar, an advertisement “Let’s all join hands to eliminate leprosy”. True.
With 55million homeless people in the U.S and no public health system and morons running the government we can only imagine what will happen in the U.S when this virus goes rampant, while trump ridicules China as a police state at least they have a national health scheme and will be able to give their citizen a vaccine when it is available the U.S won’t because they won’t know where the homeless are at any given time and their private hospital system won’t treat anybody without money or the means to pay, capitalism has gone berserk.
I recommend the Rimmer Salute https://youtu.be/zHTfUDAWnEE
From a distance of 5m.
As anyone on the hippie trail to India found, namuste & hand over the heart is the way to go, and never, ever use your right hand for anything contaminating.
Apparently the French have now been advised to eschew their traditional greeting of the treble cheek kiss.