Just when you start to get used to it...

Shock ! Horror ! Probe !

Certain churches in France are banning "la bise" or even shaking hands because of the fear of an epidemic of swine 'flu (la grippe porcine in French). One of our chaps even said "There we are - the French will change their habits and give up doing "la bise".

One large church had a medical expert to do a spot on Sunday and he advised that shaking hands was too risky and that la bise (basically you touch cheeks, going from left to right, while air-kissing) also has to be banned for the moment. Instead people should greet à l'anglaise with a curt nod, a grin and a discreet wave of the hand. As the Newly Adapted English Bible says "Greet one another with a curt nod and a discreet flick of the wrist".

Frankly I can't see that la bise is going to be a major cause of transmission ! Shaking hands, yes. We all need to wash our hands a lot more than we do and keep them out of our noses and mouths (especially nose followed by mouth... you know who you are) but la bise is pretty innocuous (unless someone is in full flow and has smeared all over their cheek !)

In our church we're all doomed anyway because we use a common cup. We can't win this one !

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