Washington (CNN) Lawmakers on Capitol Hill must now deal not only with the threat of coronavirus to the American public, but also the risks they themselves face from the virus as it continues to spread.

The disease was a topic of discussion during a closed-door meeting of the House Democratic caucus on Tuesday morning with members receiving advice on how to interact with others as the virus spreads and what capacity exists to support remote work if necessary.

The conversations included a chat about the internal infrastructure that exists to handle teleworking, a person familiar told CNN, with the chief administrative officer saying that they can support 10,000 staff teleworking if need be, and that they also have the capability to rush laptop orders and ensure they are following cyber security measures.

The attending physician asked members to stop touching during personal greetings, suggesting that members instead use the "live long and prosper sign," a light-hearted reference to a salute and greeting accompanied by a hand gesture in the television series "Star Trek."

Hand-to-hand contact is to be avoided, the physician said. The physician encouraged lawmakers to use the "Star Trek" greeting, according to Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota, though he noted with a laugh he was unable to separate his fingers to properly make the gesture.

Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock in "Star Trek: The Original Series" shows the Vulcan salute, usually accompanied with the words, "Live long and prosper."

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