Philippine poll body bans shaking hands during election campaign

Before the pandemic, candidates would entertain voters by singing and dancing on stage or in a rally.

Manila: In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Philippines` Commission on Elections (Comelec) is crafting new guidelines for next year`s presidential polls which has effectively removed ingrained features of political campaigning, particularly shaking hands and kissing babies. Given existing evidence about the importance of hand hygiene and social distancing in curbing the spread of the highly contagious virus, the Comelec has advised against greetings such as hugging, kissing, and shaking hands when politicians go on the hustings, Xinhua news agency reported on Monday. "Public displays of affection used to be part of the whole idea of campaigning (such as) politicians go out to shake hands and kiss babies. You`re not going to be able to do it anymore," Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said during a webinar hosted by the House of Representatives.