Boris Johnson admits shaking hands with COVID-19 patients, 'danger to public' say tweeples

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing flak on social media after he admitted that he intentionally shook hands with Coronavirus-affected patients during his visit to a hospital. Johnson held a press conference on March 4 where he said that he visited a hospital where there were a few coronavirus patients and he shook hands with everybody. After the press conference, people on social media started calling out the Conservative leader for being irresponsible and being a danger to public safety. 

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Johnson's intention might have been to calm down the public panic, but the way he did it was not right as coronavirus can be contracted through human contact like hugging and shaking hands, unlike HIV. Johnson's attempt to calm the people in the United Kingdom definitely backfired as people took the opportunity to troll the Prime Minister for being ill-informed about the virus. The bizarre admission by Johnson came just a day after Brexit negotiators from the UK and the EU decided not to shake hands because of the ongoing rise in the coronavirus cases in Europe. 

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There are currently 51 cases of coronavirus in the United Kingdom as of March 4 of which 12 cases have been reported recently. So far, no loss of life from coronavirus have been reported from England, but the country remains on high risk until further notice. Italy has been the most affected country in Europe with over 2,500 active cases and 79 deaths. The level of risk of contracting coronavirus in Europe has been raised from 'moderate to high' amid escalation. 

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Coronavirus outbreak

The new coronavirus also known as COVID-19 has claimed more than 3,100 lives across the globe and has infected over 92,000 people since December 2019. According to reports, at least 175 people have died outside mainland China, which makes it the worst disease outbreak in the 21st century. Iran and Italy have reported the most number of deaths outside China due to COVID-19. The virus originated from a seafood market in Wuhan city, where animals were being traded illegally. Hubei province in China has been most affected by the contagious disease, which is also the epicentre of the virus. 

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Image Credit: AP