Handshake-Free Zone At Utah State Capitol As Virus Spreads

Amid apprehension about a possible outbreak of coronavirus, Utah lawmakers are distancing themselves from a political mainstay of handshaking while a major business conference scheduled for mid-March with Michelle Obama speaking has been canceled. The Salt Lake Tribune reported that signs posted around the capitol on Tuesday declared public spaces to be “a handshake-free zone,” for lawmakers and visitors. Qualtrics International Inc. announced Tuesday it is postponing its annual summit to the fall. The conference would have brought about 16,000 people to Salt Lake City to hear speeches from Michelle Obama, Ellen DeGeneres and Matthew McConaughey among others.