Originally Posted by
Seat 2A
So, would it then be correct or mostly correct to surmise that if someone with a deep phlegmy cough coughs directly on you on around you, your chances of becoming ill (if they are) are minimal at best?
They are lower than you'd expect.
Personally, I think the polite thing for anyone with a cough to do is cover their mouth with a handkerchief or sleeve (if only as comfort to the rest of us who don't know the cause of their cough) and if they must travel in a confined and crowded environment like an airplane, take something (if possible) to control or minimize their cough.
Of course. But anyone who spends significant time working with the public soon realizes that there are a significant number of folks out there who must have been raised by wolves. If you want to give them a lecture on politeness, go ahead - but they're going to ignore it, because they don't care.
Or should the entire subject just be ignored because of the possibility that many of these phlegmy coughers are coughing due to something other than illness? Better to say nothing than risk being rude, right? And if they are coughing due to some illness, we should take comfort in the fact that most germs are spread by contact with infected surfaces rather than infected sputum in the air around us.
Right.
If you really want to avoid getting sick while you are traveling in a developed country, the single most important step to take is to wash you hands frequently. Everything else is of secondary importance.