Kugota: Dr Amoth discourages fist bumps in Covid-19 fight
Shaking hands as a form of greeting has been discouraged since the first case of Covid-19 was reported in the country on March 13.
The Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation said this minimises the spread of the virus that can be found on surfaces of the hands of an infected person.
This move has forced many people, moreso Kenyans, to adopt new ways of greeting each other even as they keep coronavirus at bay during the pandemic.
The most popuar form of greeting has been the fist bump, popularly known as “kugota” in local slang or sheng, but now it emerges that fist bumps are also unsafe.
Health Director General Dr Patrick Amoth on Wednesday, during his weekly engagement with Kenyans on social media, strongly recommended only non-contact greetings.
Dr Amoth was responding to questions from social media users through the weekly hashtag #AsktheDG.
A tweep, @yobbyJnr, posed a question to the Health DG seeking clarification on whether the fist bump reduces the risk of coming into contact with the novel virus.
“Now that handshakes were discouraged at the onset of Covid-19, some Kenyans have resorted to ‘Kugota’ in place of a handshake. Does ‘kugota’ reduce the likelihood of contracting the virus as compared to a handshake?” asked @yobbyJnr.
To which Dr Amoth responded, “NONE CONTACT GREETINGS are strongly recommended to minimize the possibility of coming in contact with the virus. Regular handwashing, use of sanitisers and masks are other important measures.”
Some of the guidelines by the MoH to stop the spread of Covid-19 include avoiding handshakes, wearing a facemask in public spaces, regularly sanitising one’s hands with an alcohol-based sanitisers and maintaining a physical and social distance.