Since the COVID 19 pandemic ended, most social events are continuing. Recently, I attended a club meeting where one of the others had the residue of a cold. She was wearing a mask and dipping into a bag of lozenges sitting on the table, but she still did a lot of coughing. Each time she gave a vigorous hack, it was difficult to hear the person speaking.
I can understand people going to work when they’re not up to par because some don’t get paid unless they’re on the job; others have a project that is on deadline and must be finished.
Social events are a different story. I think it’s selfish to answer, “Here,” when a person has any of the outward symptoms of a cold. I know that when anyone has been cooped up for a week or more, it’s tempting to take advantage of an opportunity to be with people. Perhaps, she assumed she was no longer contagious but I’m sure no one else in that group of senior citizens wanted even the possibility of sharing her germs.
A part of our church service is passing the peace. It’s a time when everyone shakes hands with those next to them and says, “Peace be with you.” During the winter, I keep my hands folded together because I don’t want the contact.
Everyone wants to avoid a cold, but for some of us it’s more threatening than it is for others. A person doesn’t have to be old to have a health condition that isn’t obvious. I was forty-two when my left lung collapsed and was surgically removed because I had histoplasmosis often caused by a fungus found in bird droppings. Since then, a simple respiratory infection could cause me serious problems needing to treated in a hospital.
When you have the remnants of a cold, do you join a social gathering of people if you feel well enough to attend?