--- title: "Biden Stops Shaking Hands to Fight COVID Spread, Forgets Minutes Later" description: "Some things last forever. Some things, like President Biden's no-handshake policy for his ongoing Israel visit, last, like, five minutes." date: "2022-07-15" modified: "2022-07-15" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/biden-shaking-hands-covid-forgets" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "ba.5" - "biden" - "covid" - "the digest" --- # Biden Stops Shaking Hands to Fight COVID Spread, Forgets Minutes Later ![Some things last forever. Some things, like President Biden's no-handshake policy for his ongoing Israel visit, last, like, five minutes.]() *\Image: MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images\* Some things last forever. Others, like President Joe Biden's no-handshake policy for his ongoing visit to the Middle East, last just a few minutes. According [to the *New York Times*](), President 46 and his team had decided that in light of the newest coronavirus subvariant, Biden was to avoid shaking hands during his latest international trek to Israel and beyond. "We're in a phase of the pandemic now where we are seeking to reduce contact," Jake Sullivan, national security advisor, reportedly told journalists onboard Air Force One while en route to Jerusalem. "I can't speak to every moment and every interaction and every movement. That's just a general principle we're applying.” To the President's credit, he started off strong. A few politicians, including current Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, were greeted on the airport runway with an ever-classic Biden fist bump. But just minutes later, when the US leader was welcomed by former Israeli PMs Naftali Bennett and Benjamin Netenyahu, the anti-COVID effort apparently slipped his mind — the *NYT* reports that he heartily shook hands with both figures. Even the best fall down sometimes. Still, the no-handshake policy, especially while traveling, is probably a good idea. According [to *NPR*](), the latest ascendant variant, BA.5, is spiking numbers for both reinfections and hospitalization numbers. And according to experts, natural immunity has shown to be relatively ineffective against the fast-spreading virus. "Not only is it more infectious, but your prior immunity doesn't count for as much as it used to," Dr. Bob Wachter, chair of the Department of Medicine at UCSF, told *NPR*. "And that means that the old saw that, 'I just had COVID a month ago, and so I have COVID immunity superpowers, I'm not going to get it again' — that no longer holds." Cue the collective groaning. There is a bit of good news, though. While the overall numbers of infections are up, *NPR* reports that the death rate has yet to spike as a result. Let's hope it stays that way. In the meantime? To keep our Hot Girl Summer going, we all might consider taking — and remembering — a few extra safety precautions. President included. **READ MORE:** [*Biden Adopts ‘No Handshake’ Covid Policy, but Not for Long*]() **More on other concerning illnesses:** [*WHO "Concerned" Over Skyrocketing Monkeypox Cases* ]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()