Silent scream

The changes this pandemic caused has been enough to make anyone scream in frustration, but nowadays, even the sounds you make must be quelled.

Trains in Metro Manila sport new looks in accordance with safety protocols aimed at containing the coronavirus pandemic. Plastic dividers have been installed and seats have been marked to

enforce physical distancing among passengers.

The number of commuters allowed to board is also limited, and each undergoes a temperature scan and disinfection before stepping onto the station platform. Those not wearing a face mask are not allowed to board.

This month, the management of the Light Rail Transit 1 (LRT-1) introduced a new regulation for passengers: no talking. As the coronavirus is spread through droplets from someone coughing, sneezing and talking, talking while inside the train is now discouraged and train marshals make the rounds to enforce the rule.

The LRT-1 operator, Light Rail Manila Corp., is not penalizing passengers caught talking. The marshal, however, will try to hush them. Observing silence should not be difficult during the train ride’s short duration.

The same etiquette was also adopted last month by a reopened amusement park in Japan. Riders of the rollercoaster at Fuji-Q Highland near the base of Mount Fuji are prohibited from screaming or speaking loudly to avoid spreading droplets.

The Fuji-Q Highland management then received complaints from customers, saying the new rule is “difficult” or “impossible” to follow when riding the Fujiyama, which plunges from a height of more than 71 meters.

Fuji-Q convinced rollercoaster riders that it can be done through a demo. It showed a video of two amusement park executives in suits and with face masks on riding the Fujiyama. Both were stiff-backed, straight-faced and silent throughout the ride. Only the sounds coming from the whipping of the wind and the grinding of the rollercoaster can be heard.

The video went viral on social media, and the next thing that happened was surprising.

“Now our customers stay silent while riding on roller coasters,” a spokeswoman for Fuji-Q High told AFP.

The park also rewarded customers who could keep their screams silent by giving them a discount on photos taken of them on the Fujiyama.

Fuji-Q aptly described its “scream inside your heart” policy as a roaring success.