Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte demonstrated the challenge of observing his 'no handshake' rule, when he accidentally shook hands with a health official moments after announcing it.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte demonstrated the challenge of observing his 'no handshake' rule, when he accidentally shook hands with a health official moments after announcing it.
Speaking at a news conference on Monday (March 9) alongside the director of the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment Centre for Infectious Disease Control, Rutte advised people to use alternative greetings such as 'shake feet, touch elbows.'
Rutte quickly realised his gaffe and jokingly touched elbows with the health official.
The policy was announced as the number of people infected with the new coronavirus in the Netherlands increased to 321 on Monday, up from 264 a day earlier.
The virus has killed three patients in the Netherlands in recent days, with no new deaths reported on Monday.