The country went into synchronized cardiac arrest the minute the H1N1 virus was announced. People weren't using public transportation, the planes were half empty, face masks were being sold by the hundreds, pharmacies were running out of disinfectant gel and yet the most basic of all the preventative measures people could have taken and should continue to involves very minimal effort and costs zero dollars. Wait for it...wait for it. JUST COVER YOUR MOUTH! Yea, it's just that simple. Oh and try not to do it with the hand that you are then going to hold on to the railing with. In fact, try not to use your hands at all. Instead, turn your head a little to the side and sneeze or cough into your inner elbow.
Sitting at the end of the cart on the Red Line, watching a fully grown man sneeze the combined content of his nose and mouth into the air, onto the floor and then finally, God bless his considerate sole, into his hands, I couldn't help but want to whip out my own container of disinfectant gel and pour out a three foot germ free circle around him. Instead, he got up and left, leaving his filth on the railing for a young woman to hold on to and rub off on herself. I just sat there hoping that whenever she got to where she was going, the first thing she would do was wash her hands. And I couldn't even tell her. Oh well...
So there you have lesson #21. Simply put, make your best effort not to add to the already germ infested air that circulates around the subway or you might end up being the reason that someone gets sick.
