Goat traders in Kenya have started to explore the “stick-shake” as an alternative to handshakes amid the global surge in COVID-19 cases.

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The Kenyan ministry of health took to its verified Twitter page on Wednesday to share a photo showing health workers enlightening local merchants who can be seen touching handstaffs to confirm the completion of trade deals.

“A Health Promotion official in Garissa County demonstrates the best way of bargaining at the goat market using sticks instead of shaking hands to fight #COVID19 in the area,” the tweet partly read.

The development comes as countries continue to seek safer options to substitute traditions that require physical contact in the wake of the pandemic, with “leg shakes” gaining traction in Nigeria.

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As many sought new ways to greet one another without compromising their health, Tedros Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), had in March, suggested that one’s hand be placed over one’s heart in compliment.

“When greeting people, best to avoid elbow bumps because they put you within 1 meter of the other person. I like to put my hand on my heart when I greet people these days,” he wrote on Twitter.

Out of Kenya’s 582 confirmed cases, 26 have so far died from the disease with 190 recoveries recorded.

This had prompted multifaceted measures, including the shunning of elaborate burial, with COVID-19 victims and natural deaths getting 24 hours and a one-week deadline respectively.

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