When people cough or sneeze on you without covering their

amother

Blush

Sat, Nov 21 2015, 9:10 pm

mouth or nose and you are on a plane, train, or bus, or other crowded area, what would you do? Would you say something to the perpetrator and if yes what? I get disgusted with this and really want to say something.

amother

Purple

Sat, Nov 21 2015, 10:54 pm

A lady came to DS's sholom zachor. Sat near us. Like very close... And was constantly sneezing. She might have used up half a box of tissues while there! Coughing too. She is not THAT close that she HAD to be there. If she didn't show I wouldn't have thought twice actually. It's not like I was ever invited to her house for a shabbos meal or got MM or any of the other signs of friends in the frum world. Friendly with my parents, definitely not even a "friendly" with me (of course she would say hi but I doubt she'd recognize me out of context!).

Hello???? New baby here! (No apology, oh your shabbos flowers bring out allergies as I wasn't sneezing before coming in...) I just made up an excuse that I needed to nurse. I just sat in the other room for a while. Then moved to another seat when I came in. (Thank you special relative who helped me with that!)

I wanted to yell at her. Or at least ask her to move away. Yes I was hormonal and exhausted and in pain but other people commented the same. No one Did because we figured it out but still.

zaq

Sun, Nov 22 2015, 6:53 pm

There's not much point saying anything unless the person is either a child or from country where hygiene etiquette is different or nonexistent. If the person is an adult from a Western country where the custom is to cover sneezes and coughs, then the person knows the rules and chooses to disregard them. Breathe shallowly and practice evasive action, IOW move away as quickly as you can and try to stay at least 6-10 feet away from that person.

Or you can be kind and make your point at the same time by silently handing the perp a tissue.

yksraya

Sun, Nov 22 2015, 6:58 pm

amother wrote:

I do sneeze often, especially allergy season, but always grab a tissue to cover AND go in a side where no one will see me like a bathroom or hallway/doorway etc.

MagentaYenta

Sun, Nov 22 2015, 7:23 pm

Sneezing and coughing into the crook of ones arm if one doesn't have a tissue is quite common here and taught in our public school system. I always have allergies and they manifest in the most unlikely of places. Usually when I at a thrift or a bookstore the dust will get to me, but the detergent aisle at a grocery store is enough to get me going. All of my jackets have tissue packs in the pocket.