Up in old NY the sign of peace was dropped every flu season. I don’t shake hands or hold hands, which seems to be very popular down here in Fla Fla land. Up north they held hands at a children’s Mass. I wish the Church would bring back the communion rail. Just what the danger of receiving on the tongue is I just don’t know, do you?
In communion "on-the-tongue", the priests hand must perforce be in the breathing zone of the communicant. Microdroplets in the breath WILL be transferred to those fingers. Such is not the case for communion "in-the-hand". Chance for transmission is drastically reduced.
All the commentary about the higher bacterial/viral count/exposure of hands is irrelevant, as the potential for contaminant transfer is much less, and must be from a direct touch of hand to hand.
Here is the recent policy statement from the archbishop of San Antonio:
"Parishes are requested to temporarily distribute Holy Communion in the hand rather than on the tongue; temporarily discontinue the distribution of the Precious Blood at Mass; remove holy water from fonts at the church doors; and to avoid physical contact would be advisable. Other dioceses in the state and nationally have adopted these temporary measures. As has been stated previously, the archdiocese is closely monitoring the situation, and updates regarding the temporary suspension of these Mass practices will be provided in a timely manner. It is important to note that health and civic authorities maintain that the risk of coronavirus exposure to the public is low."