Sneeze Guard: For Etiquette's Sake, Give Yourself a Hand

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IT WAS A TYPICAL MORNING on the Orange Line. The train I was sitting on was little crowded, even at 11 a.m., because today is the kind of warm, sunny spring Friday that draws tourists in droves to frolic about the city's myriad attractions.

The ride was uneventful until the train stopped at Foggy Bottom. That's when a guy who looked to be in his early 20s sporting a scraggly goatee and a baseball cap slumped into the seat behind me.

Apparently, today is also the kind of warm, sunny spring Friday that futzes with one's sinuses. Because the moment he plunked his butt in the seat, out burst a sneeze of cyclonic velocity, which deposited droplets of liquid on the back of my neck.

"Woah!" was his response. Not "hey, sorry, man." Not "anybody have a napkin for this guy?" Just "Woah!"

In that moment, my muscles tense, my shoulders arched, I thought about the many, many times I've been coughed on, yawned at, sighed toward or sneezed upon on the Metro by folks who obviously hadn't been listening to Mom when she gave them what I'd guess were repeated unsuccessful lessons on manners.

I'm no Emily Post, but let's be practical. Metro's a confined space packed with people, and germs float around in there faster than news about delays at Gallery Place. And few things make those germs bounce about faster than coughing or sneezing with your mouth uncovered. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a whole page on its Web site devoted to the benefits of mouth-covering. Because someone has to, I guess.

The only way we're not going to be a city of sickies constantly depositing our germs on each other is if we mind just a few of our manners. We can all live with that, right?

If you'll excuse me, I'm off to scrub the back of my neck again.