Social Niceties Are Out The Window Thanks To Coronavirus

Despite a recent onslaught of cancellation and postponement emails hitting my inbox in recent days, it's mostly been business (well, party) as usual for New York's social set. But in the wake of Coronavirus, even the most well-to-do circles are erring on the side of caution when it comes to being out and about. 

Air kisses, for one, have taken on a much wider girth. "Corona kisses!" we've been saying to acquaintances, while puckering up about two feet apart. Handshakes are, of course, out of the question. At the recent Art Production Fund Gala, attended by the likes of Nicky Hilton and Emily Ratajkowski, well-heeled guests automatically greeted each other with elbow bumps, unfazed by how ridiculous that looks (then again, you never know who just got back from Paris or Milan). 

Bathroom lines have been getting longer as people have been sure to hum "Happy Birthday" twice while washing their hands, and no one's sharing or accepting hits from a vape. Even the more illicit social niceties have shifted: people won't even take a bump off the same key anymore.

On the plus side, we can all take comfort in the fact that society has proven to have a rule book for everything, including Pandemic Etiquette. 

[Photo via @bellahadid]