Covid-19 Effects: Ajit Doval Ditches Handshake For Elbow Bumps To Greet Esper And Pompeo

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval ditched the traditional handshake for an elbow bump while greeting U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and U.S. Defence Secretary Mark T Esper.

Image (ANI)

New Delhi: National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval greeted the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and U.S. Defence Secretary Mark T Esper with elbow bumps instead of the traditional handshake following the Covid-19 protocols. When  Doval met U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and U.S. Defence Secretary Mark T Esper before the third edition of 2+2 ministerial dialogue they greeted each other with elbow bumps. The 40-minute meeting was to discuss boosting the defence and security ties between the two countries. In an attempt to reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus world leaders have been seen using fist bumps, elbow bumps, and the traditional Namaste to greet each other. The 2+2 talks were held between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and the US counterparts, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and U.S. Defence Secretary Mark T Esper during which Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement or BECA, which gives India access to classified geospatial data as well as critical information having significant military applications from the US, was signed. Meanwhile, the U.S. Presidential election is on November 3rd, 2020. The Presidential and Vice-Presidential debates came to an end on October 22nd, 2020, three debates were scheduled but the University of Michigan withdrew hosting citing public health concerns which led to the cancellation of the debate scheduled for October 15th, 2020. On Monday a man was arrested in connection to setting fire to a ballot box in Boston. The Massachusetts election officials described the incident as a "deliberate attack."