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Embarrassing Moment for Dutch PM on Corona (Video)


Wed 11 Mar 2020 | 08:00 AM
Yassmine Elsayed

Shaking hands is, perhaps, a pillar in diplomatic gesture among leaders, politicians, and all kind of officials indeed.. But now, as Corona virus spreads, those have to get themselves used to drop this gesture and, indeed, follow another one, just more healthy... Or so people were told!

Now, the Dutch PM Mark Rutte shakes hands after delivering a speech in which he told citizens to stop handshakes to prevent the spread of the virus.

During a news conference with the head of the Department of Infectious Diseases at the National Institute of Public Health, the Dutch Prime Minister called on his countrymen to stop shaking hands to prevent the spread of the new Corona virus "Covid-19". He then turned himself to shake hands with Jaap Van Dessel, the senior health official who noted, laughingly, to the mistake made by the PM.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjU5-hlOqdQ

The conference followed a crisis meeting of government ministers to discuss the spread of the virus in his country.

"From this moment on, we stop shaking hands," said the Netherlands' prime minister, outlining measures to stop the spread of coronavirus. You can do a foot kiss, bump elbows, whatever you want. I see at schools all kinds of great variations on shaking hands emerging, but from today we stop shaking hands," PM said.

Van Dessel was quick to point quickly to the Dutch Prime Minister's mistake.

He recounted the situation while touching Van Dessel’s elbows, expressing his regret and saying, "Sorry, sorry, we can't do it anymore!"

The health authorities in the Netherlands indicated that the number of people infected with the new Coronavirus in the country rose to 320+, up from 264 from the previous day.

The authorities have not recorded any new deaths from the virus after the death of the first three patients with the virus in the Netherlands in recent days.