This morning, I was early for an event & hardly had I warmed up in my seat when I heard the woman behind me coughing. Oh no, I didn’t want to move because it was easy to get in and out of my seat. I didn’t want to be blocked by a row of people just in case I wanted to get up to take photos. It was a hacking cough, the kind of sound that you know is due to a cold and not just an itchy throat. It didn’t even sound muffled which would be the case if the person was covering her mouth.

Why can’t people who know very well they will be coughing in a confined space take the trouble to wear a face mask? The Japanese do this as a matter of courtesy as do people in Hong Kong, Korea and perhaps other Asian countries so why can’t we? During the event, the woman coughed a few times and each time, I cringed and held my breath. After the photo opportunity and it was time for media Q & A, I couldn’t take it any more when she started hacking again. Time to exit stage right…..I don’t want to be ill. No one does. If I can avoid it, I don’t want to keep being exposed to germs.