In my humble opinion, one of the easiest places to catch germs, be it the common cold, a dreaded lurgy, or any other airborne virus, is in a hospital or doctor’s waiting room. It stands to reason I suppose, that the general public in these said environs, especially at this time of the year, have gathered, not for the joy of a day’s outing, but because they are obviously sick and seeking treatment.
Raised in Blighty, which many claim is the capital of the common cold, we are invariably taught, from a very early age, to cover our mouths when we cough. Maybe things have changed since I left, but in general, I believe that Brits still practise this polite custom. Here in Mallorca it appears to be common practise by some, yet not all, to just ‘bark’ loudly into the air, or cough rudely into your face if you unfortunately happen to be sitting or standing close by, with no attempt whatsoever to cover their mouths or aim their germs away. The other day I saw a woman lovingly peer into a pram then unfortunately sneeze over the newborn baby. Nice!
To be fair, nobody wants to catch a cold. Colds are miserable. Chesty coughs hang around for weeks. And the dreaded flu is a lot worse. I suppose I have become a tad obsessed by the number of open sniffers, coughers and serial snorters who are regularly sharing my space and showering their spray into the very same air I breathe.
It’s quite obvious that some people cough very openly and extremely generously without any consideration into the likelihood of spreading their bugs. And as Mallorcans tend to stand very close to you when talking, or standing behind you in a queue, I have encountered, on many occasions, a sudden cough in the face or to the back of the neck, simply because some people can’t be asked to cover their mouths and noses or apply good manners and turn away.
Mallorcan friends and slight acquaintances also tend to greet with an amorous, close-up hug, only ever telling you they have a terrible ‘resfriado’ once they’ve slobbered a germ ridden kiss across your virgin cheeks. It seems there is no escape!
Drippy nose syndrome is another habit amongst some of the tissue-shy island community. The number of people I see wiping their noses with fingertips is appalling, especially when they’re waiting on table or serving in shops. Yeuukk! It’s well documented that the quickest way of spreading germs is by hand after capturing a sneeze, then touching everything in sight -100% guaranteed to pass on germs.
I have now become slightly paranoid, and taken to wearing a bandit-style scarf completely covering my nose and mouth when travelling by bus or train. If other people did the same when harbouring a cold or simply made some effort to control their coughs and sneezes then the ‘contagion’ might not be so easily distributed.
Oh! And washing hands a lot more when you have a cold might help! How many times have I seen the general public using toilet facilities then leaving without as much as passing a maggot’s whisker close to the soap and water provided. Is there no hygiene ethos whatsoever employed here amongst some people?
There also seems to be an issue across the island in the flushing department. I can’t believe that some people actually walk away from a loo without even looking back or more importantly . . . flushing! And it’s not just a one-off flash in the pan (pardon the pun) incident, as I have witnessed this annoying anomaly far too many times in public toilets, restaurants, bars and even hospitals. Female friends have informed me that this is also a common occurrence in the ‘ladies’ restrooms as well, so not just the local macho men who are used to having everything done for them, including wiping their backsides!
Leaving streamers of toilet paper all over the floor is another habit which totally baffles me. Come on you guys, this is 2025 not the Middle Ages. With new viruses emerging in our lives more than ever before, simple toilet training, hand washing hygiene, cough management and sneeze awareness could go a long way to stopping the spread of those belligerent Balearic bugs in their nefarious tracks.
No wonder the island is frequently troubled with ‘resfriados’ during the winter season. Why give germs such an easy ride when with a little consideration, the problem could be noticeably contained. Spread joy not germs. Keep coughs and sneezes to yourself, and try stocking up on extra strength tissues instead of distributing germ ridden droplets so freely into the air!
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