Is the coronavirus changing how people greet each other?

MILWAUKEE — As COVID-19 continues to spread in the U.S., people are taking more precautions to prevent spreading/catching the virus. For some, that means changing how they great each other.

TMJ4 reporter James Groh went out to learn if people are saying hello to each other in new and socially distant friendly ways.

• CDC says don't touch your face, but it turns out it's a lot harder than it seems

He found two things:

1. People are conscious and hyper-aware of what they touch with their hands and what they are exposed to
2. People are still hugging their family members

For those that have chosen to use alternative greetings, the preferred method has been to touch elbows or exclude a physical greeting altogether and use a verbal one.

It's not easy to stop the way we say hello to someone else. Just as it's difficult to kick the habit of touching our face, a physical greeting is something we do naturally. It's human to do so. As the virus continues to spread throughout the country, it's probably not a bad idea to cut down on how often we physically touch people and reserve that for people incredibly close to us.

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