A renowned British scientist has suggested people avoid kissing one another during the coronavirus outbreak to prevent transmissions.

Speaking at a Westminster debate on Wednesday, Labour peer and Imperial College professor Lord Winston said people should temporarily refrain from the gesture, revealing that someone had tried to kiss him that day.

“It seems to me that simply not shaking hands is only part of the problem,” Lord Winston said.

“Social kissing seems, to me, something that we should not be doing. It’s very easy to do that.

“Somebody has tried to kiss me twice today and I don’t mean in a way that my wife, who might be listening, is concerned.

“We have to realise we should not be touching our nose, our mouth, our eyes.”

Lord Winston’s advice was reiterated by Conservative peer Lord Bethell, who described kissing as “wonderful but potentially dangerous” in light of how quickly coronavirus is spreading.

“We have had detailed conversations about kissing, shaking hands, fist-bumping and all manner of social intercourse,” he said.

“The guidance from the chief medical officer is clear. It is the touching of your own nose that is the real problem.

“The average person touches their own nose between 70 and 100 times a day. That is why we focus on the message of washing hands.”

The comments come after a virologist also advised people to refrain from hugging, kissing and shaking hands to prevent contracting coronavirus.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme last month, Professor John Oxford from Queen Mary University said people could protect themselves from contracting the deadly illness by reducing such physical social interactions.

“It’s a social virus,” Oxford said. “I think we have to galvanise ourselves in our social actions – how we interact with people.

“And I think that is extremely important; more so than wearing a mask. I think that’s a total diversion.

“What we need to do is less of the handshaking, hugging, kissing, that sort of thing, because this virus looks like its spread by ordinary tidal breathing, not necessarily colds and coughing.”

To date, there are 51 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK and more than 90,000 worldwide. 

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