Being mindful of others and one’s own etiquette while commuting are not two concepts which are familiar to us Sri Lankans – sadly! With all of us out and about on the streets in spite of the pandemic, here are a few pointers to make sure you minimize your chances of catching it and spreading it by simply being etiquette conscious.
01. Mask and Shield Yourself
I have said this a million times and I shall repeat – don’t yank off the mask to tell the conductor where you need to go or to speak to someone if you use a private staff service bus. Keep it on firmly and preferably wear a shield on top of the mask until you hop off the vehicle. There is nothing unfashionable about being responsible.
02. Seat Yourself Wisely
Be practical; choose the vacant seat that is furthest from the door of the vehicle. Then others don’t have to push past you as they get in and you don’t have to cringe as they walk past you. Minimize the need for contact and remember to rub in some hand sanitizer if you touch a handle or a bar as you take a seat.
03. Hop Off to Let Others Off
If you are in the way, don’t push back and expect the person getting off to squeeze their way out. This may have been doable before COVID-19, but now, the only way is for you and everyone who is in the way to get off and let the person getting off, get off in peace and in one piece. Encourage those in your staff transportation vehicle to get off for a minute if someone who got in early needs to get off soon. Be the trend setter of good commuting etiquette.
04. Keep Your Things to Yourself
Handling of other people’s belongings is a strict ‘no – no’, these days. Earlier I may have said to offer to hold on to things and the like, but now, the correct thing is to mind your belongings. Try to travel with the least number of things and use a hood rack or keep your things with you.
05. Have Short Conversations
Some people may struggle for breath under the mask and the shield, therefore, try to have only brief conversations. You can occupy yourself by browsing through the many articles on fullofetiquette.com, if you are really bored. If someone tries to drag you into a long conversation, tell them politely that you find it difficult to speak with the mask, so you would happily continue the conversation another time.
Ride safely and be etiquette conscious while you do. Hopefully, then the days where we roam about freely without masks would not be too far away.
Till I return with ‘Full of Etiquette’ next week, stay safe!
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Praveeni Jayasekera is the Founder and Editor of fullofetiquette.com; she is a regular advocate on the subject. She is an ACMA, CGMA; holds a BSc. Economics and Management; PG in IT and Diploma in Social Sciences. She is employed full time in the capacity of Chief Operating Officer at CL Synergy (Private) Limited; a Sri Lankan freight forwarding company. She is an ardent fan of the written word and has compiled content for numerous websites for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes, corporate profiles and blogs. She has experience in training corporate professionals on customer service and business etiquette. She conducts coaching sessions on etiquette for school children every now and then.
