Mumbai, March 5: The scare around coronavirus has increased as 29 people have been confirmed positive of COVID-19. According to a Times of India report, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said that it may be a great idea to revert back to the traditional way of namaste rather than shaking hands to greet people. He said that since the virus is airborne and can spread through contact, therefore going back to traditional forms of greeting like Namaste or Jai Ram is a better option.

The Minister further informed that the state has not confirmed a single case of coronavirus till now. The state further has plans of using prime time TV shows, cinema halls to spread the message on how to stay safe due to coronavirus. Coronavirus in India: Tajinder Pal Bagga Wants Delhi Police Commissioner to Suspend Breath Analyzers to Avoid Spread of COVID-19 Infection.

He further assured the people that there is no reason to panic and the authorities are doing their best to tackle the infection. Talking about dealing with shortages in hand sanitizers, the minister said that the best way to tackle the spread of the deadly virus is using soap and water. On reports that the prices of masks have shot up due to panic buying among the consumers, Tope advised people to use handkerchiefs.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 05, 2020 02:24 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).