Dr D's column: Why Mexico President should stop at namaste

While Queen Elizabeth usually wears gloves for public engagements, she was spotted, for the first time in decades, wearing gloves during an investiture at Buckingham Palace — an event she usually attends gloveless.

While the Queen is known for her keen sartorial sense, the add-on accessory was not just for fashion but as a safety measure against the contagious coronavirus, which has a growing number of cases in the UK.

Recently, Pope Francis took a step that was out of the ordinary and did not appear at his Vatican window to deliver his blessing. Instead, in a first for the Pope, he live streamed it from his residence, in a move that was in solidarity with those affected by the virus. The visual was set up at the main square and aired on big screens. And since Italy is now in lockdown, the mass will be live streamed until further notice.

While toilet paper does offer hygiene benefits, it’s no mask when it comes to the coronavirus. But toilet paper seems to be in high demand worldwide, so much so that it has run out in certain parts.

There was an armed robbery in Hong Kong where 600 rolls were stolen and a newspaper in Australia decided to do its bit for its subscribers by printing eight blank pages readers could use as toilet paper.

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, researchers had said that global carbon emissions would go up. However, China’s carbon dioxide emissions fell by an estimated 200 million tonnes in the four weeks to March 1. That’s the equivalent of the UK’s carbon emissions over six months. This is because apart from people staying indoors and travelling less, large parts of China’s industrial base have come to a standstill in the wake of the pandemic.

India is famous for its exports and the latest is our greeting: The namaste. Due to the highly contagious nature of the coronavirus, handshakes are best avoided and so, world leaders are opting for a safer way to say hello, by joining their palms together.

Prince Charles (c) was recently filmed quickly converting his outstretched hand into a namaste, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) and French President Emmanuel Macron have already been using the Indian greeting during official engagements to reduce contact with others.