People are marking International Kissing Day this year in a rather antithetical manner – by keeping their distance and wearing masks.

The coronavirus pandemic has given the annual observance, which has been celebrated on July 6 since 1991, a totally different meaning as experts call on people to glove up, stop pressing flesh and swap intimacy for physical distance.

Health officials across the world are recommending limiting face-to-face contact to flatten the curb and break the chain of COVID-19 transmission. When not cooped up at home, people are observing social distance, staying about two arms' length from others in public settings.

In many countries where greetings start with a peck, COVID-19 is upending cultural norms and putting a pause on kissing customs.

For the french, saying hello comes with planting a kiss on the cheek in a tradition known as "la bise" – but with COVID-19 in full swing, the government has asked its citizens to kiss this practice goodbye.

"Reduction of physical social contact is recommended. This includes la bise," French Health Minister Olivier Véran earlier advised.

But these restrictions have only pushed people to come up with alternative ways to greet each other and express affection in a different way.

Bumping elbows, waving and bowing palms together are safe alternatives to the handshake and kiss, according to Dr. Sylvie Briand, the director for global infectious hazard preparedness at the World Health Organization (WHO).

Kissing Day began in the United Kingdom and was adopted worldwide in the early 2000s.

A slight brush can send a cascade of positive signals to the brain, and remind people of simple pleasures and happiness during difficult times.

Perhaps one of the most iconic kisses in history is between U.S. sailor George Mendonsa and nurse Greta Zimmer Friedman in Times Square on the morning of August 14, 1945, the end of World War II.

The photograph made it to the cover of Life magazine and was turned into a giant statue in both Sarasota, Florida and San Diego, California, called "Unconditional Surrender."

The wedding day kiss between Princess Diana and Prince Charles on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in 1981 was voted Britain's most memorable smooch as it broke the tradition of royal couples simply waving to salute the crowds before them.

Before you pucker up and go in for lip contact, you might want to think about your safety and that of your loved one and settle for blowing a kiss in the air – it's the thought that counts anyway.