Miss Manners' etiquette lessons for contagious times

Miss Manners, aka Judith Martin, has long been known as the voice of authority on all things etiquette. While what seems normal in today's society may be very different from what it was just a few short months ago before COVID-19 swept the planet, the social graces are still essential—if only as a way to keep some sense of order and sanity when all else seems out of kilter.

What they are doing now is summarily ordering people to go home, without knowledge of why they are out. Even strict quarantines recognize the need to buy food and medicine, exercise and tend to those in severe need. What is the proper response when people either don't understand this or choose to ignore it? I often find myself stepping off the sidewalk or path and into the street or a driveway in order to avoid these people. Other than glaring at them as they pass, is there a proper way to inform them?Not having the power to lock people up, etiquette can seldom guarantee that you will change another person's behavior—only that you will have made every effort short of rudeness or force.

Even before the advent of the virus, Miss Manners noticed that people turn especially vicious in grocery stores. I've always been charmed by the ethos of some cultures in Asia where individuals don them automatically. Over the years, I've also stewed in silence, particularly strapped on airplanes, while an individual clearly continues to exhibit symptoms of sickness. I usually carry a mask or two for myself, but they are so much more effective in preventing the transmission of"germs," rather than shielding one from them.

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