Just got shouted at in a coffee shop for coughing in public 🥴

and an awful lot of hospitals are

Some of the selfish arseholes on this thread appear to think so.

Colds are horrible to have but they are so common that if everyone stayed at home when they had one the country wouldn’t be able to function and kids would never go to school or nursery.

If you have genuine flu or a chest infection then yes don’t spread it around. But simply coughing or sneezing should be acceptable in public. We have all had random sneezes or even choked on our own saliva for no reason.

No, but you are one of the many posters who has said anyone with a cough should stay at home. A PP said she has a cough as she lung cancer.

It is

From the Guardian

“An NHS leader has said people who are unwell with flu “must” wear a mask in public.

A UK government official has said if you need to go out while sick, you should only “consider” wearing a mask.
So what is the official advice, how serious is the threat posed by flu, and what should you do if have symptoms?

What did the NHS leader say?
Speaking to Times Radio, Daniel Elkeles, the chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents NHS trusts, said the UK was experiencing a “very nasty strain of flu” and people with flu or cold symptoms “must” wear a mask in public.

• Stay Home if Possible: If you have symptoms, avoid visiting others if you can.

Dr Jamie Lopez Bernal, a consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA, said: “If you have flu-like symptoms such as a high temperature, cough or are feeling tired and achy – limit contact with others, especially those at higher risk.
“Wash your hands regularly, keep indoor spaces well-ventilated, and if you need to go out while unwell, consider wearing a face mask.”

That would be a ridiculous overreaction to an ordinary cold. Life would come to a standstill if everyone did that.

Honestly, it's not the prospect of catching flu that scares me, it's the sound of someone else hacking up that makes my skin crawl. I'd feel sympathy for them way before any anger.

Then again there are so many other things that can happen to anyone at any time. Flu? Cold? Get jabbed up and relax. Car suddenly comes off the road? Terrorist attack? Yeah, I'd rather have the flu, thanks.

I despair.

I have asthma. It sometimes makes me cough. Am I supposed to stay at home and away from society for ever, just in case someone hears me coughing and thinks I'm spraying deadly germs all over them?

Sorry? The OP has lung cancer now does she? If I heard a raspy cough like the OP describes I would feel uneasy yes.

No one can know for certain when they are contagious. Most colds will have about a week where you are the most contagious, a day or two before symptoms and about five days with symptoms. You can be contagious for a few weeks but there is less risk as it goes on.

Anyone is allowed to go out whenever they like. I try to avoid doing so when I have symptoms other than a post-viral cough.

It's hard to be annoyed at people like this even if they are being very rude. Some people are terrified. Especially they older generation who watch or listen to the news quit a lot. I wouldn't take it personally.

I’m coming up to week 5 of congestion and cough exacerbated by asthma following a cold. I had a similar episode earlier in the year - seems to be just how colds affect me now, frustratingly. I’m tired from the coughing but otherwise perfectly well.

The idea I might confine myself to barracks for months of the year, only going out for walks in the park or to get a takeaway coffee - never stopping, for fear of stressing others - is just absurd.

I hate that one of the lingering effects of covid seems to be that many view it as a moral duty to sequester yourself away for having even the most minor bugs.

That is really bloody rude. I actually can’t be bothered to engage with you. Go right ahead with your self righteousness.

Totally with you, I’m the same. The cough is at its loudest, most annoying, attention-grabbing, sending me into a fit of hacking, after I’ve finished being ill and I know I’m not infectious anymore. I’m perfectly well apart from a deep tickle which unexpectedly strikes. I get quite panicky with it if I’m indoors in public as I feel trapped and self conscious. People who judge it can get in the bin. They’ve no idea what germs they might be catching off the person who isn’t making any noise.

You could avoid a coffee shop of course

So the PP who coughs from having lung cancer should stay home forever so you can be less anxious?

There’s quite a lot of space in between ‘am I supposed to hide away from society’ and going in to a (probably packed) coffee shop 5 days before Christmas when you know you have a cold.

How do people know if they're contagious or not? And why are you allowed to go out with a cold but not them?

No, the advice is youre fine to carry on normal daily activities if you feel well enough to do so

While I think Covid taught us about making choices if obviously unwell I think it also turned us into nutcases. You cannot just stop home/not work if you have a cold. Jesus, I have several a winter season, I'd never leave the house! OP clearly knows she didn't have a flu, she'd have been unable to function out of bed. Coughs can linger on as a post-viral thing for WEEKS and I have one myself at the moment.

The man in the cafe sounds like he has some of his own issues. If he's that worried then perhaps he should himself wear a mask for personal protection or not hang around in coffee shops in the middle of winter. If everyone in Britain who had a sniffle stayed at home, the whole economy would tank!