President Trump said that social practices, including handshaking, could change permanently even after the coronavirus pandemic subsides.
“Again, we are going to all come back together here. We’re going to all come back together and practicing hand hygiene, which we should do anyway,” the president said Friday during a press conference. “A lot of things, I think, are going to spill over.”
“One of our great doctors was telling me that, as you know, we have flus every year, and the number of people killed by the flu is very substantial. Said that if they did not shake hands, that number would be substantially lower. So, maybe it will stay. Maybe some of these things long term will be good,” Trump added.
The president made the comment after saying the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that Americans use materials to cover the face in order to protect themselves from the coronavirus. Trump said he was not planning on using a mask or similar device.
So far, over a quarter of Americans have confirmed cases of the coronavirus, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has nearly 7,000 deaths from the virus, while over 9,000 people have recovered.
