Problems On Trains
In the UK the health message has for a long time been: Coughs and sneezes spread diseases; catch them in your handkerchief. This was a government health campaign. Even when it is no longer displayed, people still remember the catchy verse and repeat the mantra to themselves.
However, in Asia it is common to wear a mask. Some British people are averse to masks. In London we have masked figures attacking people, robberies and terrorism.
My experience of the blue face mask in Singapore is that it is unpleasant to wear. You have a small area of hot air you are breathing out under your nose. You feel like you are sucking hot air in through a barrier.
I said, "I have a cold so it's hard to breathe. This mask is making it even more difficult t breathe in.
My Singaporean friend suggested, "Just cover your mouth, so you don't cough over the car everyone."
If I felt a sneeze coming on, I could pull up the mask. I could pull it down to talk, then pull it up if I felt a coughing fit.
That is to protect people in public spaces. What about at home?
You don't want to re-infect yourself, nor other people. This involves meticulously washing your hands before preparing food,and after sneezing or blowing your nose and handling a damp tissue, before putting your hands onto your computer or phone. Maybe use a wet wipe on surfaces you have touched.
Where To Buy A Mask
You can buy mask from pharmacies. Check first if travelling a distance which branches stock them because they might only be in larger branches. During major emergencies such as a haze, some branches may run out. It could help to enquire when the items are delivered and put out on the shelves. For example, if the new stock were to be delivered at 8 am but placed on the shelves at 10 be am, and sold out by 4 pm, you might be told that there would be a fresh delivery tomorrow, but you 5 would not find any when you set off at 8-9 am, nor when you returned at 5 pm.
One solution is to try every store you pass. Another is to get different members of your family or group to look for them.
Free Masks
I was given a mask by a friend in Singapore - who was upset that I was coughing in a car. He obtained a free mask from a Polyclinic near his home.
I found free masks in a private doctor's clinic in a mall. I didn't know who they were for - for doctor's to save themselves from breathing over us or breathing in the patients' germs? I asked at the desk and the receptionist replied, "Please help yourself." She didn't say whether that meant just one, two, or more.
Masks were also in the national University Hospital.
After you get it home, you might just put it down on a desk, hidden under clutter, or leave it in a bag or pocket so that it with you next time you go out. You risk changing bags and clothes and not finding it.
An alternative is to keep it in the bag or jacket you always wear, and tell the family where you have put it, in case they need it when you are not there or forget. Another suggestion is to keep it in a bathroom cupboard, if there is room, or on a bathroom shelf with a note or photo inside the bathroom cabinet door. Another choice would be to keep one mask, or two, in the first aid kit in your kitchen on the wall or in a car glove box.
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
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