Passenger travelling whilst really ill

[Notjustanother]

Took a flight to Berlin last week. Woman next to me was coughing the entire flight; deep phlegmmy cough and spitting stuff up. Clearly should have been in bed. It was grim. As a minimum she should have been wearing a mask.

Five days later I felt very ill, and tested positive for Covid. A former colleague who also happened to be on the flight, sitting in front of this woman, has also tested positive.

Since then I have lost half a stone in weight, been horrendously ill and am having difficulty breathing. Today we were supposed to be going away for a much looked forward to half term holiday, we have had to cancel and pay the £200 insurance excess.

The woman was on a mini break with her husband, but did some work on the flight. She works for a law firm.

Would I be unreasonable to contact the law firm and complain - especially as she was working for them during the flight. I have her name.

I am furious that her rank selfishness has made me (and others on the flight) so ill. There could be no doubt that she was going to infect others on the flight, and must have known that there was a high risk that she had Covid.

I think she needs to be made accountable for her actions, or at the very least be made aware of how her actions have affected others. AIBU?

You are being ridiculous.

I had a cold 4 weeks ago. I still have a horrible cough weeks later because I got a chest infection and antibiotics haven't fully cleared it. Doctor says I am fine to be out and about. I assume other idiots like you will be blaming me for their illness

So you wanted to report her for traveling with Covid, the thread doesn’t go the way you want, and then you drip feed that you’ve read every word of her draft contract? What is it you want to report her for?

I’m also a corporate lawyer and I wouldn’t work on a plane for client confidentiality reasons. BUT. If she’s working on a mini-break then I can imagine the type of firm/client and it’s not a great life. I might have had a quiet word about a privacy screen at the time but thst ship’s sailed. Because you weren’t bothered until you unilaterally decided that she gave you Covid… 🙄

It’s annoying but I think you have to assume that if you travel on a plane at this time of year there’ll be quite a few colds/viruses/ probably Covid flying around. There’s always someone coughing on a flight. You were unlucky to be sat next to them.

If the half term holiday was so important then you shouldn’t have done the Berlin flight (maybe it was for work but still). Even then you could have picked something up from your child at school or in a work office. There’s just lots going around and people won’t stay at home for a cold/virus.

If they did stay at home their parents could be fined.

You sound deranged. Why did you read her whole document, including parties, clauses etc. that's crazy.

A lot of people travel while unwell. It's not always a choice.

Genuine question as I know it sounds snippy but how come you found out so much about her and what she as travelling for?

I was on a flight recently where a group of a abut 40 people were coughing horrendously throughout the entire flight. It was grim but part of flying now I'm afraid.
A few days later I started to feel ill but had to travel home somehow, when I got home I test and was positive for Covid. In the 24 hours previously I'd taken 3 flights. I'm sure I will have passed it on to someone but I'm not sure what I could have done?

Ok, if you are genuinely concerned about the potential data breach, as former legal professional yourself, you will know how to report these concerns in a calm and factual manner.

Adding completely unsubstantiated accusations that the same employee gave you covid will just make you sound mad and vindictive.

Imagine thinking contacting someone's employer because you caught a virus was a totally normal idea.

Next time bring a book to read.

And yes we warn trainees to avoid risking this but equally I think we can all show professional courtesy and not go reading "every word" in this situation

Would I be unreasonable to contact the law firm and complain - especially as she was working for them during the flight. I have her name

What you're proposing is exceptionally odd behaviour.

Think about it. If you actually do this, what do you imagine is going to happen?

This woman has not broken the law, and it is vanishingly unlikely that her firm has a specific policy prohibiting it's employees from going on holiday while feeling unwell!

If I recieved this email about someone who works for me I would assume that the sender was suffering from a Mental Health issue and/or had a personal vendetta against my member of staff. In all honesty, my only concern on reading that email would be that someone I Line Manage might potentially be a victim of harassment/stalking! My own personal feelings about whether or not it is morally ok to get on a plane feeling ill would be entirely irrelevant. Unless she had broken the law, or company policy it would be none of my business and there would certainly not be anything actionable.

why is it wrong or ‘vindictive’ for me to report her for breaching her professional obligations

What on earth are you talking about? There is no "professional obligation" that prohibits a person who works for a Law firm (or any other organisation as far as I'm aware) from going on a mini-break with a bad cough, covid or not. You are threatening to report her for "breaching" a rule that does not exist in reality, only in your head.

As an aside, for someone so ill they're unable to travel today you're surprisingly combative

Nice, so the OP gets her revenge on the sick woman by reporting her and possibly getting her sacked! Maybe the OP shouldn’t be so nosy!!

This all sounds batshit. You want to report this woman over her work you saw, presumably with you being a nosy parker, and further report her because you think you got sick from her. Jesus wept. Why was you looking anyway? Do you always look at other peoples devices? Maybe it’s karma in play 🙄

What an earth do you think her employer will do, dock her wages?

Maybe if you hadn't have been peering over her shoulder the entire flight trying to read private documents you wouldn't have caught anything.

I wore a mask on a recent flight from Spain. The woman in aisle seat nearly opposite me coughed the whole flight. I do think she was very selfish. I was tempted to offer her one of my masks! I also wear them on public transport

Why were you reading it ? How rude. You must have been very close to her. I’d have been trying to stay as far away from her as I could.
You have no proof she had covid or passed it to you.

You might not just have covid, you could also have flu as well or a chest infection.
Have you spoken to a gp or nhs24 ?
If you are coughing up blood and have lost half a stone on 5 days you need medical advice.

I'm really sorry for your mum and for you having to worry about her, but did it not occur to you that a coach tour holiday, when you're on a bus all day with the air circulating, going from one hotel to the next and eating with other people at a time of year when Covid and flu and colds are rife was risky? Did you do a risk assessment before going? Did you wear masks? Did you think about the fact that all corona-type viruses are more prevalent in autumn and winter than they are spring and summer?

It's not a matter of people not caring about your mum. I caught Covid at a conference and went into work for three days before I knew I had it, during which time I probably spread it around.

I hope your mum gets over it quickly.

Just like 2020 all over again with the twee little "just because you CAN doesn't mean you SHOULD".

So over this now.

YABU

Emailing her place of work about leisure travel she took with her husband is pointless.

As others have said, she didn’t break any rules.

You can’t prove she gave you covid. It’s autumn, viruses go round. I’m heavily pregnant and in the past month have had covid and now a cold. I couldn’t give a toss who I caught it from.

This is what impact lockdown has had on people. They want to live their lives.

OP I'm sorry you have covid and now can't go on your own holiday that must feel shit especially given the fact you feel awful and have lost weight too. Personally as annoying as it is i wouldnt contact her work and tell them you suspect she gave you covid. As others have said the guidance is just advice to isolate unfortunately its not legal and while most of us would stay well away id we where that bad for one reason or another this woman didn't. Whether you want to contact her employer for working on a plane and risking breaching confidentiality is your own business but again I feel its a bit much. Your right in what you say she shouldn't of been doing it but do you go straight to the company and complain I don't know you could have perhaps just give a polite notice saying be careful what your working on due to confidentiality when in public places or something. I understand why you feel angry and annoyed I have covid now too, feel shit and I've been there done that trying to trace back how I might have got it but again there's no proof and unfortunately people are now allowed to go about their own business even with it

Mmm, it was an interesting drip feed!

Perhaps she had bronchitis or another chest infection? When I had covid both times I had very little cough and it was dry. The fever was the problem and the joint pain.

I cannot believe you took her name and company name and decided she gave you covid. By the sound of it both you and your colleague got it at what ever work event you travelled to and infected the rest of the flight.

Honestly it frightens me how crazy covid has made people. Would you like her jailed or sacked?