Dr. Fauci says people should 'just forget about shaking hands' even after the coronavirus threat is over

• Leading coronavirus expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Tuesday that the traditional greeting of shaking hands may need to end even after the coronavirus pandemic is under control.
• "As a society, just forget about shaking hands," Fauci said. "We don't need to shake hands. We've got to break that custom."
• With the outbreak of coronavirus, the CDC has advised Americans to avoid shaking hands and bump elbows instead.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases who is a leading member of the White House's coronavirus task force, said that the tradition of shaking hands may need to come to an end even after the coronavirus pandemic is under control.

Fauci spoke to Scott Thuman, Sinclair Broadcast Group's chief political correspondent, on Tuesday and said the greeting may be outdated in the wake of the infectious disease spread.

"As a society, just forget about shaking hands," Fauci said. "We don't need to shake hands. We've got to break that custom."

"Because as a matter of fact, that is one of the major ways you can transmit a respiratory-borne illness," he added.

Fauci also told Thuman that the social implications of the coronavirus outbreak may linger within society long after it passes.

"I think what we're going to have embedded and imprinted in us forever is the realization that something as catastrophic as what the world is experiencing now can happen," he said.

The 79-year-old has become one of the most public-facing members of the White House's coronavirus response and frequently appears alongside Trump in press briefings. He has been an outspoken advocate of social distancing measures and said that early signs indicate that these measures are helping to slow the virus spread.

"No crowds more than 10 people, keep 6 feet away, avoid crowded places, telework when you can - those are the kind of things that if we keep doing we're going to see an even greater impact," Fauci said during a White House press briefing. "That's the reason why we need to keep, as I say, putting the foot on the accelerator and not the brake."

Research has indicated that handshakes transfer double the number of bacteria you can get from a hi-five, and that bacterial transmission can be reduced by up to 50% through hi-fives and up to 90% through fist bumps.

The CDC has advised Americans to avoid shaking hands and bump elbows instead. Vice President Mike Pence has heeded the advice, though President Donald Trump has been more reluctant to give up the greeting.

And get the latest coronavirus analysis and research from Business Insider Intelligence on how COVID-19 is impacting businesses.