A passenger on a flight from Sydney to Abu Dhabi lasting 14 hours blew her nose into toilet paper, which greatly disturbed her fellow traveler sitting next to her. Details of the story were published by News.com.au.
Australian actor and producer Troy Nankervis admitted that it was “the worst flight of his life”. He said that he was horrified when he realized that a fellow traveler in a nearby chair had a severe cold.
“Her bad runny nose and terrible cough conjured up all the possible scenarios that could play out over the next 14 hours. In the worst of them, I got infected and missed most of the vacation,” the man complained.
He added that he was plunged into even greater despair when “a passenger with a cold took a roll of toilet paper out of her bag and began to blow her nose loudly, and then stuff the used scraps into the front seat pocket.”
The tourist said he was unable to swap seats with anyone as the flight was full, so he had to wear a medical mask and use hand sanitizer. In addition, the guy was very unnerved by the fact that he was sitting at the window and “simply could not go anywhere”: he could only silently observe the actions of his neighbor with a cold.
As a result, the passenger landed in Dubai and continued his journey without picking up any viruses.
“Now I admit that I was a little dramatic in this situation,” the overjoyed traveler said.
What do doctors think?
Professor Robert Bui, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the University of Sydney, told the author of the article that he has heard about such situations more and more lately:
“A month ago, I got the flu on my way to Queensland and got Covid a couple of times on the plane from people sitting beside me without masks. This is because people take everything for granted and forget that respiratory viral infections spread very easily in airplanes among people sitting next to you and around you,” the doctor told the publication.
The president of the Australian Medical Association, Professor Steve Robson, told a journalist that “the fact that he managed not to catch a cold from a neighbor on the plane is a miracle” and he was incredibly lucky.
“There is nothing worse than saving up for a long-awaited vacation to go on the trip of a lifetime, sitting next to someone sick and, by the time you land, find that you are sick. You will not enjoy the rest. happy and productive vacation, or if you are returning home from vacation, you probably do not want to bring the virus home to your family,” the professor of medicine shared his opinion.
Doctors warn passengers about the necessary precautions on board: it is mandatory to wear a mask, especially if fellow passengers show obvious symptoms of the disease. And you can also not forget about the opportunity to ask the flight attendants to transfer you to another seat if you feel that you are at risk. If the plane is full, it is best to refrain from talking face-to-face with an unhealthy neighbor.
To reduce the risk of infection, Professor Robson also recommends rinsing the nose with saline immediately after landing, as well as practicing normal hand hygiene.