■ MAXWELL: Throw away your used gloves and don't hog the sidewalk. It's time to talk about coronavirus courtesies and basic etiquette during a pandemic.
Don’t hog the sidewalk. Don’t crowd. And throw away your used gloves.
I love happy couples.
Are you a happy couple? Do you like holding hands? How nice for you.
Now quit it.
At least when you’re walking on a trail or sidewalk and you see people coming the other way.
Your fellow walkers need 6 feet of separation, not a deadly virus.
That’s right, it’s time to talk about etiquette during a pandemic.
See, we’re now about a month into the coronavirus scourge. And for the most part, we are kicking COVID tail.
We’ve stayed home, binged on Netflix, embraced day-drinking and come to accept dingy T-shirts and stained sweatpants as acceptable work attire.
We may smell like a week-old halibut, but we’re flattening the curve by doing the right things … at home anyway. The same can’t be always said for when we head outside or to the store.
As a result, many readers suggested we make a list of coronavirus courtesies — basic things all of us can do to make surviving the 2020 pandemic a bit more pleasant.
On Facebook, the most popular topic for pandemic etiquette involved grocery stores.
Brad kindly asked that his fellow shoppers stop fondling everything in sight. “Shop with
your eyes, not your hands,” he said. “I saw a lady touch every single box of fried chicken before picking the one she wanted.”
That seems like good advice. People shopping for fried chicken crave saturated fat, not a lung infection.
Judy also noted that shopping doesn’t need to be a tag-team affair: “Don’t schlep your entire family to the grocery store if you don’t absolutely have to.”
And Bev noted that you don’t even have to schlep yourself to the store if your neighborhood gets organized. “One of our neighbors sent out an email blast offering to pick up stuff from Costco,” she said. “People sent over lists, and he did an awesome run, which especially helped the senior couples on our street.”
Mr. Rogers would be proud.
If you do go, Paul suggested first drawing up a battle plan. “Make a shopping list,” he said, “so you can attempt to get in and get out rather than wandering about aimlessly.”
Kevin pleaded with fellow Floridians not to unnecessarily hoard toilet paper.
Talk of toilet paper prompted my wife to offer another tip:
REPLACE THE EMPTY ROLL WHEN YOU FINISH IT!
(OK, I’m pretty sure that tip had nothing to do with the virus and was meant for a very targeted audience, since she was staring at me and my son when she said it.)
Now let’s talk about masks and gloves. It’s great that you’re wearing them. It’d be even greater if you’d dispose of them properly.
Parking lots and sidewalks are littered with used gloves and masks. That’s just nasty.
One reader suggested it’d be a good idea to have receptacles for them.
I have wonderful news. There are. They’re called trash cans. And they’re all over the place.
Getting back to sidewalks, a second Judy had a few hard-and-fast rules: “If someone is approaching … split it with them. A sidewalk is 4 feet wide. No one owns it unless they are a senior or have a stroller.”
Sara also reminded our cycling friends that local trails aren’t part of a racing circuit. “I saw a mom … almost get hit by a biker who thought he was in the Tour de France.” That’s when Joel, who is a cyclist, noted that a pandemic is actually the perfect time for bikers to hit the streets. “Trails are crowded, and the roads are empty and a better option these days for bikers,” he said. “I’ve switched back to the roads.”
Look at all the synergy we have here!
There were many more good ideas.
David urged us not to crowd elevators. Beth reminded us to smile.
And a whole slew of readers (Mimi, Shelley, Helen, Lisa, Ayme and others) encouraged those who normally pay domestic workers (housekeepers, nannies, pet-sitters, etc.) to keep paying them, even if they’re not coming.
Ayme put it this way: “I believe that everyone deserves sick pay. So if I employ someone in any capacity, then I should act like a responsible employer and take care of the people who work for me.”
A few readers had really specific suggestions. Like Jennifer: “Maybe don’t cut your grass next to your neighbor’s window at 2 p.m. on Tuesday while they’re on a conference call??”
Anna-Marie broadened the point by reminding us that many people’s homes are now their offices, so neighborhood noise courtesy is encouraged. Plus, she noted that some frontline crisis workers are trying “to sleep during the day because they work in the E/R overnight.”
Really, if you tie all these pieces of advice together, it’s not too complicated: Be kind, nice and considerate.
That’s sage wisdom, whether there’s a pandemic or not.
As Charlene said: “When you see any neighbors, ask them how they are doing. Remind them that they matter; that you care; that we are all in this together.”
Now let’s talk about masks and gloves. It’s great that you’re wearing them. It’d be even greater if you’d dispose of them properly.