With the Covid-19 situation happening all around the world, people are understandably paranoid.
Hoarding, staring aggressively at people who coughed in public, telling nurses not to come into the food court because they “might carry germs”; these are things that happened, or is happening right now.
But, Japan would probably be the last place where you’d expect extreme paranoia to crop up.
After all, their people are known for being rational, disciplined and calm.
But in the face of an unknown virus like Covid-19, things can change.
Japanese Man Pressed Emergency Stop Button On Train Cuz Someone Coughed Without A Mask
Yesterday, it was reported that an incident happened on a subway train in Fukuoka at around 8pm on Tuesday (18 February 2020).
Two men were seated next to each other when one of the men coughed.
The other man was furious and immediately pressed the emergency button.
He said that the man could’ve spread a virus. He should have been wearing a mask.
Delayed The Train As A Result
Both of the passengers were made to alight at the next station.
The train was also delayed for several minutes while the stationmaster attempted to calm both men down.
Now, a “few minutes” doesn’t sound like a big deal especially when you compare it to Singapore’s massive train disruptions.
But in Japan where a rail company had to apologise for a train leaving 25 seconds ahead of schedule?
It’s a huge deal.
Learn From The Japanese
Okay, so disrupting a train service just because someone coughed is a tad bit overboard, but the idea is something we can all learn from.
No, don’t press the emergency stop button at the MRT, you’ll get fined.
It’s the courage to speak up and stop others from doing things that could be detrimental to society.
So you see someone coughing without a mask? And it’s not just once or twice, but frequently throughout the journey.
Go up and ask nicely if he’s okay, and offer a mask if you have a spare one on hand.
And of course, if your friends refused to see a doctor because “it’s just a cough”, tell them they could be the next “Case 31 of South Korea”.
Not The First Time Japanese Panicked During Covid-19
The Japanese people are on edge due to Covid-19. As of 20 Feb 2020, Japan’s number of cases has overtaken Singapore’s.
Just a few days ago, we wrote this article:
Video Shows How Japanese Have Also Hoarded All Masks in Healthcare Shop
Youtube channel WOW That’s Japan published a video on the video-sharing platform, alongside the accompanying caption:
PANIC IN JAPAN!! NO SURGICAL MASKS! CORONAVIRUS SCARE!!!
The channel said that it was at Kosmos, a Japanese drugstore and wanted to check out the surgical masks section.
The store had to put up a notice limiting the purchases of customers.
On another note, please don’t hoard masks because there are others who need it more.
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That and the most important prevention tip isn’t wearing a mask but washing your hands frequently with soap instead.
