Good old hanky at hand

sunday@thestar.com.my

WHILE having lunch at a coffee shop recently, a young man sitting at a nearby table turned to his side and sneezed really hard without covering his nose and mouth. It rained droplets.

He was not wearing a face mask. Without apologising for what he had done, he went off to the toilet.

It was one of the rare days my other half and I had gone out for a meal since the movement control order (MCO) was imposed. The Prime Minister had announced the recovery MCO phase on June 10, just two weeks before this incident.

It was a good thing that the shop had spaced out the tables but I was still uneasy and quickly gobbled up my food so we could leave. It was one scary experience.

Meanwhile, a friend had witnessed a man pulling down his face mask to sneeze.

These incidents may have occurred as a result of a natural reflex but they also demonstrated the lack of sneeze and cough etiquette among Malaysians.

Apart from not spreading germs and viruses, it’s only polite to cover our noses and mouths when we sneeze or cough but this is not always done. Currently, of course, it’s mandatory to wear face masks in public and crowded spaces and on public transport.

While covering the nose and mouth during coughing or sneezing is a habit that should be continuously encouraged and also taught from young, perhaps the use of a handkerchief could help mitigate the icky and unsightly sneeze or cough if we are not wearing a mask at certain times or in certain areas.

It can be taken out of the pocket to be used immediately, or, if big enough, it can also double as a face covering/mask.

Members of the older generation up to the 1980s used to carry handkerchiefs with them whenever they left the house. The men would put a handkerchief in their pockets while the women would tuck one under a sleeve or the waist of a skirt. In fact, as children of the 1970s and 1980s, we used to put a handkerchief in our pockets before we left for school. We would use it to wipe our sweat after physical education, wipe our mouths after eating and cover our noses and

mouths whenever we sneezed or coughed, and we were often reminded to say, “Excuse me” whenever that happened.

The humble handkerchief did help curb droplets from going everywhere.

It is not known when the first handkerchief came into use – people have been carrying a small cloth on which to blow their noses for hundreds of years, according to Encyclopedia.com.

It was kept tucked away out of sight until it became a fashion accessory in the 16th century. Then, women dressed in silk gowns with delicate lace ruffs and cuffs had their tailors add lace or a scalloped edge to a fine linen cloth that was not tucked away but held in the hand or draped across the arm.

Handkerchiefs remained a fashion accessory for centuries. But their use began to dwindle in the

1990s when tissue paper came into use out of convenience.

The use of a handkerchief does not guarantee that one will not get infected, just as wearing a face mask or face covering does not, but like masks, hankies do help to prevent the spread of droplets and saliva to some extent when one sneezes or coughs.

Physical distancing, staying home and avoiding crowded and confined spaces are still the best ways to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Nevertheless, if one has to go out, apart from a mask, a hanky at hand or in the pocket is always useful.

We still cannot let our guard down as long as there are still asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic cases, and we must all be responsible and take all possible measures to protect one another and prevent the spread of Covid-19.