Having just battled one of the worst viral/bacterial infections I’ve ever had in my life, I thought a lot about how I got sick and the etiquette of a sick person (sick as in ill NOT sick as in… well… disgusting haha).
I thought about the few things that many of us Malaysians don’t really practice in our culture here and I’m hoping that we will do. Here’s what:
1) Stay away from crowded enclosed places like cinemas, airplanes… etc
When I trace back my steps on how I got sick this time round I remember exactly how I got it. I was watching a movie in the cinema some time before that. Seated behind me was a kid that had a very very bad cough. I could hear the thickest of phlegm every time he coughed.
To make matters worse, his parents never seemed to have taught him to cover his mouth when he coughed. So every time he did, he broadcasted his virus airborne into the entire cinema. Give him a cough every 10 minutes over a 2 hour movie and it makes sense that I (among many others I’m sure) caught his bug.
I find this very inconsiderate of his parents (more so his parents because he’s just a kid). The boy is sick. Not only do you bring him out with you instead of having him rest at home, you bring him to a crowded closed environment where people seated next to each other in very close proximity.
How inconsiderate! I wish we could fine people like that. So please… if you are sick, avoid watching a movie. Stay home and watch a DVD or something because you don’t want to get others’ sick.
2) If your kid is sick don’t send him to school either!
I’ve heard of parents who still send their sick toddlers to play school and result in the rest of the toddlers getting the exact same bug. Why any parent would do that to the other parents out there baffles me. If you’re a parent, you know that having to take care of a sick kid is really stressful. So by bringing your sick kid to school, you’re giving your headache to another 5-6 parents or so who are unlucky enough to have their kid infected by the same bug.
3) Wear a Mask
I was in Tokyo many years ago when I first noticed some people taking trains and wearing face masks. At first I thought the masks were to protect from the haze but when I looked up I saw clear blue skies. Then I realized what the masks were for.
The people who wear masks are sick and they are wearing the masks to prevent themselves from spreading their bug to everyone else be it office co-workers or strangers on the train. I’m told this practice started long ago since the days of SARS.
This however isn’t the practice in Malaysia at all. This time round because I’ve been so sick I’ve made it a point to wear a mask whenever I go out even to a mall or a restaurant.
I hope more Malaysians will do the same and we will one day have that culture of being considerate enough to not spread our sicknesses.
Timothy Tiah – Co-Founder of Colony, Kuala Lumpur Co-Working Space