At Madrid's main medical school they have even hung a banner stating, "Don't kiss, don't shake hands, say hi" in order to get the word out about changing customs to combat the spread of the new flu. The school's head, Juliana Farina, also has suggested that students "look to the Japanese way of greeting by tilting the head", a greeting without any form of human contact. Which, yes, is great to prevent infection, but, at the same time, it's sad to see the beso-beso tradition go, even with all the embarrassing incidents it has produced.

Kissing is also being discouraged in the church and is making for a very different religious festival experience this summer, as worshipers are asked not to kiss the religious relics and are also discouraged from dipping their hands into the fountains of holy water at church entrances.

In addition to these restrictions, the Health Department has several other recommendations, including frequently washing hands with soap and water, covering the mouth with a tissue when coughing and then immediately throwing it away, and more on its website to prevent the spread of gripe A. 

Symptoms for flu A (H1N1) are similar to those of a regular flu: fever (above 38ºC), coughing, aches and a general feeling of exhaustion, accompanied sometimes by diarrhea and vomiting. Typically these evolve over a 2-4 day period. If you have any of these symptoms, the Health Department recommends you follow the steps for the autonomous community you reside in.

But, what about the beso-beso? What will happen once the fall passes and everyone has grown accustomed to the Japanese way of greeting, will it be reinstated or gone forever? Guess we'll just have to kiss the double cheek kiss goodbye for now, and hope to see it come back one day. Then again, there may be many happy to see the beso-beso go away. Personally, I'm a beso-beso fan, even if I stumble through it sometimes.