Man with persistent cough shopping with partner - just why?!?

[Defenbaker]

I went shopping today, for essential items, to a large supermarket. There was a small queue, with a security guard letting people enter as others left, to ensure social distancing inside. All very calm and not many people inside, so that was good.

However, in the second aisle there was a man coughing. I thought, oh well, it's probably nothing, just an ordinary cough, don't panic. I avoided him anyway, just in case. However, he then kept on coughing, at regular intervals, all around the shop. He never once used a tissue, or even his hand or the crook of his arm to catch the cough, and the cough was just the sort of dry, persistent cough that medics have described as a symptom! Regardless of whether he had the Covid19 virus or not, he was certainly not being careful to keep his germs to himself. I wondered how many people he could be infecting.

Although I tried my best to avoid him, he then appeared quite near me, where I was using the self scan till. This conversation took place:

Me: "It might be a good idea if you wait outside while your partner does the shopping, as you have a cough."

(He looked stunned, as though the idea hadn't occurred to him.)
Him: "Oh, it's just a cough, I don't have a temperature!"

Me: "That's a symptom, you might have it, you don't know."
Him: "I've been to the doctor... I don't have it."

Me: "So, have you had the test then? Did you have a negative result?"
Him: "The doctor said I'm fine... " (He looked shifty, like he was tempted to lie but found it difficult while I fixed my gaze on him.)
Me: "Even if you haven't got it, people are bound to be anxious when you're coughing all over the store. It really would be best if you wait outside."
Him: "Mmm... maybe... "

All the time his partner said nothing. I got the impression she was a bit embarassed to be with him, as she knew how others would view his germ ridden presence.

He then sloped off. AIBU to think that he had no reason to accompany another (able bodied) adult around the shop, and should have known better than to behave so thoughtlessly during this health crisis?

• Or just an entitled bitch"

Entitlement is swanning around a supermarket during a global pandemic of which one of the main symptoms and the way it is spread is a cough, and not making any attempt to cover your mouth. I am glad people are calling people out on this, no way did he not know what was going on in the world, and maybe now he will realise that it can be scary for people. Yes if he has a persistent cough for other reasons of course going out and about safely is fine, but letting loose uncovered with no effort to contain it is not.

I think the fact he had a cough but was not using a tissue, is concerning. So I think you could have possibly handled it better.

I don't know why people are talking about rights. We still have free speech at least and OP has every right to speak to any other customer.

Also people saying OP is not the corona police...true, but in a way not true because with restrictions of the range we have in place right now social pressure is going to one of the main ways they can be enforced.

It needs to be socially unacceptable to go round a supermarket coughing all over things with no attempt at hygeine. If that makes things difficult for some people I am sorry, it's probably temporary, but it's necessary right now.

This does however teach me that I will need to walk around clutching my inhaler so people don’t throw bananas at me next time I need to shop
Same here I guess. I'm actually staying home for the most part. I'm aware I cough like a seal, and it could unnerve people, nothing I can do about it. But if I have to go out, I'm not explaining myself to cough police. Its asthma related. But my granny died of lung cancer and she sounded like she had croup. People will cough, get over yourselves.

I don't think you should make a habit of this op

You're not the cough police

even if he nad a non CV19 reason for the cough, he should have been putting his hand/arm in front of his mouth, to prevent his spittle going all over everyone else's food?

I thinK anyone with a cough should wear a mask in the supermarket. I don’t care if you always have a cough - that just makes you more dangerous so far as I’m concerned, because you’ll likely be contagious far sooner than anyone else if you do get covid 19 on top of your cough.

I'm suffering with hay fever at the moment which makes me cough, I dread going into the supermarket incase I start coughing and people get arsey. I need to eat though 🤷‍♂️

I'm with you, OP! Chronic cough or not, how anti-social to not even attempt to cover your mouth.

I have asthma and being in the cold makes me cough and wheezy, but ha, guess what? I cover my mouth with my scarf or cough into the crook of my elbow. Easily done, no need to terrify people out and about.

I have a cough due to acid reflux. I take medication for the acid reflux (2 weeks now) and it should go before too long.

But I have noticed how many others have this cough, even tv presenters etc.

So I would cough but would avoid people rather than use hanky as I know what is causing .
From online -
'Chronic dry cough, especially at night;GERD is a common cause of unexplained coughing. It is not clear how cough is caused or aggravated by GERD.'

Are you all mad in the U.K.. The male in question would be liable for a large fine at the minimum for not wearing a mask in his condition where I live. Possibly another for what could have been a non essential trip - as it isn’t clear as to whether it was necessary for him to be in the shop?

Reading some of the views on here then I’m more worried for my D.C. living in the U.K. than I am for the one in Madrid!

@Defenbaker you are right - not enough people challenge outrageous behaviour and you sound as if you did it in a very measured way - wish there were more like you!

You absolutely do not have the right to question anyone about anything that is none of your business.

I have exactly the same cough due to a blood pressure drug I take ramipril. It's a pain in the arse and people shun me wherever I go.

This dry cough is a very common side effect of this drug and can persist for years. I'd be pissed off if people kept going on about it. I wear a thick mask when I go out anyway.

userxx - you could wear a mask, though. There is now plenty of research indicating that wearing a mask, even a homemade one, slows the spread of the virus and that 2m distancing is insufficient to protect others from the respiratory droplets of someone who is actually coughing or sneezing. So it is not unreasonable for strangers who don’t know you from Adam, don’t know if you normally cough or sneeze like that and don’t know who you’ve been in contact with recently, find your unprotected coughing and sneezing in public to be pretty abhorrent at the moment.

I was in a very small line at a hardware store - I had gone to buy gloves before anyone jumps on me - waiting to pay. The line was marked out to keep everyone apart the required 1.5m. The man behind me not only ignored his mark by lining up directly behind me, he also coughed - quite heartily.

Now, he might have been coughing for any number of reasons. But, KEEP YOUR BLOODY DISTANCE AND DON’T COUGH IN MY AIRSPACE.

That’s all.

The OP does appear to have apologised somewhat for her behaviour which is good. .
I’m sure there’s people out there who would continue to justify it.
I’m glad I read this - never realised about the different reasons someone could have a persistent cough.
Learn from this people! We are not the police or some public health body. When we have to go to the shops it’s a risk but something we all have to do.
Challenging others, risking shouty arguments, physical violence etc only massively increases these risks.
Stay calm, minimise risk, go home!

You dealt with it better than I did last week, OP. Not dissimilar situation, young couple out in a supermarket. Buying a small quantity of goods. He dry coughed all the way round the shop. They then came and stood close behind me and she started coughing with a very similar sounding dry cough. I’m not proud of this, but I lost the plot and yelled at them.

Everyone is nervous right now and the combination of events (both of them shopping together, obviously able-bodied, both coughing, in the shop casually for a few items, standing too close) set off my already heightened fear and led me to do something I have never done before in my entire life: shouting at a stranger.

For the absence of doubt, I know full well I was wholly in the wrong and dealt with it in entirely the wrong way. I am trying to ensure it doesn’t recur by changing my shopping habits and reminding myself that asking people politely to move away is a much better response.

For all those with coughs who can’t avoid going out, you have my sympathy. But would you really do what this man did? Coughing uncovered? Not giving a damn how much you might be upsetting others, who may well be nervous about spreading this virus to people in their household who may be at high risk?

It wasn’t the fact that the couple in my scenario were coughing that sent me over the edge. It was the combination of circumstances that convinced me they were simply ignoring the rules (where I am, those with respiratory symptoms are not supposed to be in public places).

So many of us are on edge with what’s happening and with the best will in the world, that is also something that can’t be helped. I’ve heard much worse than the OP’s polite challenge. And seeing as he complied with her suggestion he wait outside, obviously she wasn’t too far wrong in her conclusion that he really didn’t need to be there, making others nervous and (don’t let’s forget) potentially killing vulnerable people if he is infected. Not being aware you are infected is no excuse.

And wear a mask if you have a cough...

This does however teach me that I will need to walk around clutching my inhaler so people don’t throw bananas at me next time I need to shop

I am guessing you might have some concept of hygiene though and cough into something rather than just in the air with no regard for anyone else?

You are right OP, and what you said to him was entirely appropriate under the circumstances.

If you had asked him to cover his mouth when coughing I'd have said good for you.

To question and advise a stranger on their health, from presumably a distance of at least 2m is breathtakingly rude and inappropriate.

The UK will not get through this any time soon if the attitudes on this thread are representative. In China you can’t go into a shop if you have a. no mask. b. a cough c. a fever (they test everyone’s temperature at the door).

Current NHS advice is that if you have a ‘new continuous’ cough to treat it as if it were Co-Vid and self isolate for 14 days, including other members of the household.

If the man had asthma or lung cancer, you’d think he’d have reassured OP that he his cough had a non-Co-Vid cause.

What he said implied it wasn’t a habitual cough at all. Either his claim he saw a doctor was a lie, or the doctor told him something that does not follow NHS guidelines, and cannot be justified scientifically.

It’s the asympomatic and mildly symptomatic people who are the super spreaders.

The cough you get with Covidcan last ages
Maybe people can stay in their houses forever and ever and ever to keep the dementor covid police on here happy
I've had a cough since January maybe I should stay in till it goes
Ticket bastard cough
I'll probably be locked in till Christmas and that probably wouldn't be good enough for some on here

To question and advise a stranger on their health, from presumably a distance of at least 2m is breathtakingly rude and inappropriate.

You think questioning someone breaking NHS guidelines in a pandemic is inappropriate?