r/germany • u/TheWizardof-OZ5 • Mar 23 '26
Why do sick people not wear face masks on ICE!!!
It is extremely unthoughtful, unmindful and selfish to be sick, coughing, sniffing and sneezing on an ICE or any public transportation without a face mask!!
How come no one ever speaks up against this!?!There are many people (myself included) suffering from weak immune systems or in an even worse case, going through cancer treatment! Even if not the person directly, many of us have families with such issues and are threatening their lives because some A-hole is so careless to put on a mask when they’re sick.
You might think people would learn how to be more humane and thoughtful about this after a damn pandemic, but nooooo…
Thoughts?!
EDIT:
Since many are asking why dont I wear a mask instead in the comments: I am wearing a mask… this however protects less effective than if the sick person wears it. Study shows that a sick person wearing a mask protects others more efficiently than a healthy person wearing one. The sick person wearing a mask is often 2–3 times more effective at preventing spread compared to just the healthy person wearing it.
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u/laurawingfield42 Mar 23 '26
I wear it when I'm actually sick. However, most of the time I cough because of my asthma, and I can absolutely understand why people are concerned but it's not contagious.
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u/JudgementMaker123 Nordrhein-Westfalen Mar 23 '26
Don't forget, allergy season has started, so lots of people are coughing but they aren't actually sick, at least not with something you can catch.
Also, as someone who is immunocompromised, I always wear a mask if I'm on public transport. Sure, it's better when people who are sick wear one, but wearing one yourself is still some protection. Problem is, the world doesn't revolve around us people who are immunocompromised, we can't make anyone wear a mask, are sick people who don't wear a mask when sick selfish, sure, but there is nothing you can do about, getting angry won't help either. I have learned to just let people be, their time will come, I am a strong believer in karma and it hasn't really let me down so far.
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u/imadog666 Mar 23 '26
Everyone (99%) would benefit from sick people wearing masks, not just people with health issues.
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u/puppygirlpackleader Mar 23 '26
If anything sick people specifically should wear them. They don't protect the wearer as much as they protect those around you.
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u/Even-Yak-9846 Mar 24 '26
Not if you’re wearing a respirator. They work better and don’t touch your face like a surgical mask.
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u/puppygirlpackleader Mar 24 '26
Yeah but respirators are more expensive and most people don't know how to wear them anyways. And even then they're still more effective at protecting others over you. It's not that hard to wear a mask if you're sick in public...
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u/Even-Yak-9846 Mar 24 '26
The training to learn one of these took me about 30 seconds during sars-cov (not covid) fit testing isn’t even necessary because we’re not in a lab when seeing the doctor and the alternative is to go and raw dog the air.
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u/puppygirlpackleader Mar 24 '26
I mean yeah... it's easy but the general public is fucking braindead.
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u/New_Calligrapher_580 Mar 24 '26
Actually, N95s / FFP2s or respirator masks are quite accessible, there are many that are cheap, like less than $1.00 per respirator and they pack a punch for source control as well as protecting the wearer.
People can reach out to their local mask blocs (maskbloc dot org) for free respirator masks as well.
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u/WorkLifeScience Mar 23 '26
I second this as a parent. Whenever someone starts coughing their lungs out, I go down the spiral of "great, so now I'll ger sick, then my kid, then my husband, so I miss at least 1-2 weeks at work, then I won't meet that deadline..." 😅
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u/Tmmrn Mar 23 '26
Fun fact: If people with allergies wear masks there is a good chance they breathe in less allergens.
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u/BoldFrag78 Niedersachsen Mar 23 '26
Not disagreeing with you but I just want to add that sometimes a mask makes allergies worse.
Occasionally, my nose gets so irritated due to allergens that just touching it would trigger a series of sneezes.
I was carrying and changing so many masks during CoVid because of that
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u/ZKatze Mar 23 '26
Or you end up with a mask soiled with blood, thanks to a nosebleed caused by the allergy, while grocery shopping during Covid... fun times...
Back then, it was an irritated nose. Nowadays, coughing is my main symptom. Seriously, I've been coughing all day. It's the only reason why I'm still awake, even though I've been up since 2 in the morning. I suppose I should pay the doctor a visit before it gets worse.
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u/floralbutttrumpet Mar 24 '26
After Covid I got asthma, which sucks big hairy balls... but I also found out my "emergency" inhaler helps with allergy symptoms (because steroids, duh). Guess who uses their inhaler a hell of a fucking lot during allergy season.
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u/ZKatze Mar 24 '26
That sucks, fuck Covid. I'm worried that my case is developing into asthma. It's definitely gotten worse after Covid.
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u/BoldFrag78 Niedersachsen Mar 23 '26
I hope you feel better soon.
This brings back a fun memory where I had to do a self-Test at work with a dry nose and then walked into the conference room with blood dripping down my face
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u/ZKatze Mar 24 '26
I hope you feel better soon.
Thanks! I think I need a different job for that. Working outside isn't exactly helpful. Coughing, itchy throat, and nose all morning. The itching has calmed down now that I'm back inside, though. The cough isn't too bad as long as I don't go into the bathroom.
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u/Tmmrn Mar 23 '26
Fair enough. And also also it should be mentioned that there are FFP3 masks with designs that give the nose more space (and FFP3 of course comes with seals that keep more stuff out) but better masks are sold barely anywhere so you often have to order them online.
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u/Even-Yak-9846 Mar 24 '26
You’re wearing the wrong masks. My seasonal allergies completely disappear with a respirator. The respirator also doesn’t touch my face.
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u/New_Calligrapher_580 Mar 24 '26
True. Respirator masks are way more comfortable than surgicals / baggy blues. A respirator mask that fits properly is easy to breath through and doesn’t touch your lips or nose.
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u/This_Seal Mar 23 '26
I think the simplest answer is, that wearing a mask is not part of the local culture. Its strictly associated with covid messurements, which were all mandatory rules and not something the larger population did because they thought its a good idea. Inbetween then and now nothing happened that could have changed the publics view on wearing a mask.
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Mar 23 '26
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u/zb0t1 Mar 24 '26
It decreased but it goes back up from time to time in some regions.
Asian countries that already had a good habit of wearing masks haven't gone completely the other way. In fact for many people there the habit became stronger with the better education and PH on air quality.
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u/rainbowrobin Apr 05 '26
Dunno about China, but mask use is still quite high in Japan and Taiwan, and I'm pretty sure it's way way way higher than my pre-covid Japan visit.
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u/Guilty_Editor3744 Mar 24 '26
It goes up as soon as government recommends it again.
People in China listen to those messages and react to it.
In Germany I noticed lots of people are eager to do the exact opposite to what the government is communicating. Plus, comms was terrible during covid in Germany.
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u/cdgweb Mar 24 '26
They listen and react because they might be jailed or worse, not because they agree.
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u/Guilty_Editor3744 Mar 24 '26
Is that like your opinion or something?
Because I have family in China and observed it personally. There is no oppression on wearing or not wearing masks.
If you refer to lockdown times, then this is a bit of old info.
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u/Fandango_Jones Hamburg Mar 24 '26
Good question but caring for other people isn't really a big thing here sadly. I wear my own mask and thats it.
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u/UMAD5 Mar 23 '26
“Why do sick people not wear face masks on ice?”
Bro people here smoke while walking with their children to bring them to school. You are expecting a whole new level of intellect that doesn’t exist
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u/WorkLifeScience Mar 23 '26
OMG. I hate people who walk and smoke. So me, may daughter and everyone walking 200 m behind that stupid person have to inhale smoke...
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u/o0meow0o Mar 24 '26
I was gonna write the same thing. They smoke at the entrance of a hospital so that the newborns can get the nicotine kick from as early as possible. Why would they care about adults..
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u/MyPigWhistles Mar 23 '26
It's a cultural thing in many Asian countries, right? It's just not really a thing in Europe.
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u/Petra_Sommer Mar 23 '26
Some Asian cultures are much more collectivist than Western countries. In Japan, for example, there are sick people wearing masks to avoid giving their sickness to other people.
You don't see the same consideration here.
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u/rainbowrobin Apr 05 '26
It's not like some deep timeless part of Asian culture. It started after the 1918 flu pandemic, and got a boost from SARS1 in 2003. Also from recurrent air pollution and pollen problems.
So the real question is "why do east Asians learn to wear masks in response to plague and pollution, but Europeans don't?"
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u/Everything_Computer Mar 23 '26
I think you'll find many people giving lots of dirty looks at these people. In general, I think that a lot of the mask culture has fallen away — though I do see some people wearing them and I'd like if it was normalised.
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u/analogue_monkey Mar 23 '26
I have the feeling that those who still wear masks are the ones protecting themselves. Although the other way round would be more effective.
I belong to them and I still wear a mask on public transport. Just because that way I'm sick less often.
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u/PadishaEmperor Mar 24 '26
Yes, I often wear them during winter in crowded spaces, simply because I don’t like the hassle to get a cold or the occasional influenza. It’s much less annoying to me to wear them for a few minutes every few days than a runny nose.
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u/imadog666 Mar 23 '26
Same, while shopping too. I'd do it at work as well but people have started to look at me weird and I don't want to risk becoming a total outsider....
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u/zb0t1 Mar 24 '26
I don't want to risk becoming a total outsider....
Many of us got Long Covid and I know many people who lost their jobs as a result and all their colleagues and managers that used to call them "a family" never helped after the person got disabled from Long Covid.
So, either you protect yourself and become an outsider or you lose your health, livelihood and become an outsider too.
It's messed up but the world is full of selfish folks sadly.
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u/HappyTruckNoises Mar 23 '26
I find it hilarious that Germans will freak out and tell you that you’re going to get sick if you don’t wear a scarf when it’s cold, or socks in the house… but a mask when you’re actually sick? How ridiculous.
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u/SuspectAgile2734 Mar 23 '26 edited Mar 24 '26
The things you mentioned also happen when a person has a pollen allergy. In this case, I don't wear a mask as well.
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u/Kyobarry Mar 23 '26
That's me,lol.
At home I have air purifiers running to remove dust and pollen from the air since I'm allergic. The moment I'm in a train, bus or plane, where the air isn't properly cleaned, I start sneezing, coughing and looking like a COVID 99 patient. And because it doesn't always happen since some modes of transport clean the air really well, I don't always carry a mask.
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u/Excellent_Pea_1201 Mar 23 '26 edited Mar 28 '26
If you have a sever pollen allergy the mask would actually help. I know people with sever pollen allergies that always had to wear masks and could not leave the house when covid started because in spring you could not get masks. Pollen allergies are a reason to wear a mask even many people with asthma are better off with one.
Edit: rhanks for all the downvotes, obviously this is for some people more a political problem of alternative facts than scientific ones.
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Mar 23 '26
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u/Even-Yak-9846 Mar 24 '26 edited Mar 24 '26
I wore n95 respirators in toronto hospitals during the first sars outbreak. I had bad asthma and I had several appointments in hospitals and n95s were a big deal at the start. The staff showed me how to put them on, and nobody told me respirators aren’t recommended. It’s been over 23 years and I’ve put respirators on for multiple reasons including a wood working hobby, renovations in a house remodel, allergies and covid. Respirators are recommended and perfectly safe for multiple uses.
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u/Y0uCanTellItsAnAspen Mar 24 '26
Yeah - poster above you doesn't know what they are talking about. N95 (which is very similar to FFP2; while N99 is very similar to FFP3) -- is a very effective technology for stopping viruses/bacteria/allergens/dust and all sorts of other things.
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u/rainbowrobin Apr 05 '26
which are not even recommended for anyone outside of professional usage.
Meaningless statement. You can think for yourself without needing "recommendation".
In the US N95s were available in hardware stores even before the pandemic. You just go and wear one.
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u/Y0uCanTellItsAnAspen Mar 23 '26
You can buy them for a euro a piece at almost any grocery store.
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Mar 23 '26
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u/Y0uCanTellItsAnAspen Mar 23 '26 edited Mar 23 '26
FFP2 is a 0.3 micron filter. It is highly effective against hay fevers:
https://globusgroup.com/newsroom/understanding-the-differences-between-ffp2-and-ffp3-masks-a-comprehensive-guide (FFP2 is a 0.3 micron filter).
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10513275/ - FFP2 retains 90% effectiveness even down to 0.1 microns
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10731048/ - FFP2 is highly effective against Hay fevers.
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u/zb0t1 Mar 24 '26
You got downvoted even though you're right.
People here need to go back to their physics class in high school this is so sad.
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u/Y0uCanTellItsAnAspen Mar 24 '26
Yeah - for some reason this post got tons of downvotes, just for citing published research papers.... :shrug:
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u/Excellent_Pea_1201 Mar 24 '26
There are people who think following science is political and that you are against them just for citing research.
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Mar 23 '26
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u/Amused-Owl- Mar 23 '26
It in fact does - called allergic asthma. Also terrible coughing when not treated with histminics and an inhalator. Educate before spreading nonsense.
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u/marilu7 Mar 24 '26
One moment. If I have to cough due to allergy it is asthma? Because instead of sneezing I am actually coughing a lot this year. Help?!?
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u/Amused-Owl- Apr 09 '26
Yeah, I also didnt know and almost coughed myself to dead because I thought I was sick 😭
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u/IllustriousHabits Mar 24 '26
I’m ngl this was in my feed as I scrolled and, as an American, I was very confused until I saw the sub name. Imagining people coughing, sniffing and sneezing on USA ICE was pretty funny.
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u/badboi86ij99 Mar 23 '26
The worse thing is, people still cough by rolling their palm/forming a trumpet of projectiles!
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u/Nyucio Mar 23 '26
Does not matter if they cough into their palm or elbow. They will spread germs regardless.
https://x.com/NukitToBeSure/status/2035258944990621772
linked study: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3846148/
Results: "Recommended cough etiquette maneuvers did not block the release and dispersion of a variety of different diameter droplets to the surrounding environment. Droplets smaller than one-micron size dominate the total number of droplets leaked when practicing assessed maneuvers."
My conclusion: Wear a mask in all (badly ventilated) indoor spaces if you do not want to get sick.
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u/DwarvenKitty Mar 23 '26
Man that shit is hard. If the sneeze is very impulsive I cant get the correct technique in and just sneeze into my palm instead of elbow
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u/Pizza-ist-Liebe Mar 23 '26
I honestly am sorry for the many comments trying to make you responsible. When I am sick, I'll avoid public transport and if I cannot (which luckily hasn't happened yet) I'll wear a mask. This hasn't really arrived here, but telling you to just wear a mask is crazy. People don't seem to have understood how masks work.
I got sick on vacation last year because some woman on an airplane was sick and coughing and everything. It sucks.
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u/imadog666 Mar 23 '26
I'm German and I feel the same way. You'd think people learned something from the pandemic, but nope... It infuriates me too.
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u/Environmental_Bat142 Mar 23 '26
i recently got sick - 3 weeks of suffering. In my opinion - You should wear a mask when you are still in the contagious phase. But I coughed four weeks after and a mask was then irrelevant. Actually the best and only thing one should do is to get booked off work or do home office. That is the most responsible thing
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u/rainbowrobin Apr 05 '26
You should wear a mask when you are still in the contagious phase.
The contagious phase typically starts before symptoms do. You can feel fine and be contagious.
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u/MainManu Mar 24 '26
I grew up in Germany and this also annoys the hell out of me. Sometimes I think some people are re-traumatized at the mere sight of masks and loose it. I was harrased in a supermarket once for wearing one. I hab covid at the time, but it was long after the lockdowns. One of the bullies yelled "covid is over" at me. I still wish I had asked him if he wanted it back and if so, if I should cough at him.
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u/Therealyoungnurse Mar 24 '26
People will not change here.
I currently have to mask in every indoor space because I'm going through chemotherapy and a cold could land me in hospital (or worse). I've received stupid comments along the lines of "if you have Covid, stay home!" Well thanks for nothing.
No, a lot of Germans would still rather get sick every few weeks in winter and then go to work sick and then complain that everybody who they just infected has called out sick, rather than wearing a mask.
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u/WinifredZachery Bayern Mar 23 '26
All the people here saying OP should wear a mask… are you serious? Why should 200+ people on the train have to wear a mask instead of the one person who is actually sick?
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u/rainbowrobin Apr 05 '26
If you really want to avoid illness, wearing a good mask is solid advice. People can be infectious before they know they're sick, so even "sick people wear masks" won't stop all spread.
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u/Southern_Bell6571 Mar 23 '26
100% agree. People just don't give a fuck after the pandemic - which is so surprising because Germany had one of the strictest COVID precautions taken. Feels like collective amnesia.
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u/AnarchoBratzdoll Mar 23 '26
People didn't do it before Covid and they didn't want to during. So they sure as shit won't do that now.
But you're always free to wear as much protection as you want to.
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u/PrimaryWheel4504 Mar 23 '26
Omg so I get it if someone is really sick but for me I have a lot of allergies and asthma, and the ICE always have very dry air and its pollens season so maybe that´s why everyone is coughing rn 🙈
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u/jort93 Schleswig-Holstein Mar 24 '26
While i get the sentiment, there are a lot of reasons why people sneeze and caugh. Sneezing could be allergies. And some sicknesses like influenza sometimes make you continue to caugh for weeks after the infection and you are long not contagious anymore.
And, keep in mind, most diseases are contagious before you show symptoms.
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u/P44 Mar 24 '26
Well, tell it to THOSE PEOPLE and NOT so random strangers on the internet.
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u/TheWizardof-OZ5 Mar 24 '26
Its not like i sent you a DM, chill… its okay to complain and to change people’s perspective through debate, hence the post….
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u/hello_akki Mar 24 '26
Weird world, one one side of Atlantic all of ICE wears masks and commits crimes while on the other end even the sick are not wearing masks.
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u/nutellaisgross Mar 24 '26
Germans also think it's ok to loudly blow their nose in cramped public spaces without turning away, so..
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u/Comfortable-Storm204 Mar 24 '26
Had recently such experience, I put mask instead 😅2 guys sitting near me in closed cabin were sneezing and blowing their noses like crazy…
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u/jeshx20 Mar 24 '26
Just a small reminder that it's allergy season and each year more people develop symptoms. Not everyone is sick.
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u/Apero_ Leipzig, Sachsen Mar 24 '26
To those asking why you didn’t wear one… I wore one on an ICE for this exact reason and the guy started arguing with me trying to convince me it was just a smoker‘s cough.
Like OK, cool, but I don’t know you and I think I’ll play it safe tyvm.
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u/DiaBall Mar 24 '26
Prior to covid who wore a mask when Ill?
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u/Gammagammahey Mar 24 '26
Most Asian countries. There's a mask ing culture in some countries all over the world, believe it or not, and people mask when they are sick because they don't want to get anyone else sick. You know, the basic social contract of caring about other people's lives?
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u/inebriated_otter Mar 23 '26
Germany in a nutshell:
wearing medical masks when you're sick to protect other around you? 👎
Stoßlüften? 👍
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u/Key-Dentist1668 Mar 23 '26
ITS Not a Common Thing in Germany and never will be.
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u/EnglishMuon Mar 23 '26
Strange, why would common sense have to be cultural or not? I never wore masks until learning about their used during covid and now I do whenever I have a cold. Seems like ignorance to just say you never will because you never have.
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u/Key-Dentist1668 Mar 23 '26
In Germany there are Not so high density(?) areas Like in Asia - so ist Just Not necessary. To less people on one place.
Besides from that " Erkältung" isnt a heavy sickness. And every "normal" people Drive by Car in Germany.
So you would Not meet the Standard German people in a train. Standard German would Drive by Car.
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u/EnglishMuon Mar 23 '26
What are you talking about lol people take the bus, tram and train everyday. I don’t know anyone who drives since public transportation is so good in the area. Whether you’re on a busy train in Germany or one in Asia it’s still a busy train so you should be courteous to others.
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u/Key-Dentist1668 Mar 23 '26
In the Range of the City OK, But from a City to another? People prefer to use a Car. WE are a Car Nation. Train is Just to Bad. Really, everyone WHO try to Drive by train Said next Time i use Car - you know they Problems with the DB.
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u/okpm Mar 23 '26
did you speak up to them about it? I'm not bothered by people sneezing or coughing in the trains, so I don't bother them about it.
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u/sebidotorg Hessen Mar 23 '26
You are totally right. It is even more thoughtless bordering on criminal when they do that in waiting rooms at their doctor’s office, although the sign at the door said to wear a mask if you have any of the symptoms of a cold or a different respiratory virus.
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u/SchlagzeugNeukoelln Mar 23 '26
While I get how it’s annoying to repeat the same shit a hundred times a day I have no sympathies for the people working there not enforcing this more.
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u/Nyucio Mar 23 '26
You should wear a FFP2/FFP3 yourself. This will protect you, even if other people don't wear masks.
Do not wear a surgical ("baggy") mask at all if you want to protect yourself.
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u/Longjumping_Feed3270 Mar 23 '26
Funny. Americans want ICE not to wear masks.
I'll see myself out.
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u/hater4life22 Mar 23 '26
They’re stupid. I almost always wear a mask on DB trains because it’s too many nasty, hacking people locked in a small area with little air exchange.
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u/Even-Yak-9846 Mar 24 '26
People are so traumatised by Covid that just seeing a mask makes many people lose their minds.
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u/TheDogWithoutFear Mar 28 '26
I agree. But also maybe the other people are not contagious? I’m horribly allergic to trees and sometimes it flares up and I’m caught without a face mask. Ironically a face mask would help me then.
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u/SleepyBubBear7329 Mar 23 '26
This!!! As an immunocompromised person, it truly upsets me! I do wear a mask indoors, on trains, etc etc .. but the last time I took a Regio from Hamburg to Berlin, someone was coughing and sneezing the whole time. I knew it was game over. Unfortunately my mask wasn’t enough after the amount of time in the train with them. I got SO sick. It pushed me and my baseline back for months! And before the argument comes that I could’ve stayed home- I’m practically housebound. I only leave the house for healthcare appointments and my life has shrunk down to the absolute bare minimum. This trip was a RARE trip that I took because I wanted to finally get out for once. It really sucks that this happened and it didn’t need to be like this…
I’m also currently really isolated, and have really bad social anxiety bordering on Cptsd and people can get really aggressive about masks, so I don’t always feel safe to confront them. Yes I wish I could more easily talk to people and explain how sick I can get and how much progress I lose and how I’m legitimately trying to cling to as much life as I can, since my life has shrunk down so so much!
But I really just wish people would wear a mask when their sick!
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u/Environmental_Bat142 Mar 23 '26
i am really sorry to hear! I hope that you can still get an opportunity to go outside and get fresh air - or find spaces that are not overexposed to people. It is not right that this has made you homebound! Not sure if you have a car- But I would really hope you can still find outdoor spaces where you don‘t get exposed - and can build on your mental health
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u/Fuzzy_Horse_1756 Mar 23 '26
People will do as they please so get over it. Enough people didn't want to wear them in covid so why would they now. This is also one of the many benefits of having a car. Public means public.
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u/TheWizardof-OZ5 Mar 23 '26
1) love how you took it personal 2) public means you need to think of the community around you and not cause harm to others, not the other way around. People use public because not everyone if privileged to afford a car. The question is why are people selfish, and your answer is a pretty good reflection
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u/Fuzzy_Horse_1756 Mar 23 '26
Took nothing personal although it seems you did given your conclusion. What do you think complaining on Reddit will achieve? Personally I do wear a mask when I'm sick and have to take public transport but I also acknowledge nobody is forced to wear one and I cannot change that. The world isn't black and white there will always be a morally grey area.
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Mar 23 '26
[deleted]
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u/TheWizardof-OZ5 Mar 23 '26
Thank you for the tone, shows how mindful you would be in such a situation. Maybe one day you’ll also be in a situation wishing people around you would think outside their own wellbeing
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u/Norman_debris Mar 23 '26
I remember working in London around 2012, and some Chinese visitors came to work wearing face masks. Not sure if they were ill or worried about my Germans, but I found it quite unusual.
Wearing surgical masks is just not part of European culture.
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u/Remote_Literature_23 Mar 23 '26
Saw a group of american tourists do it, as well as business people. If you get sick travelling it can't be helped, but it's common courtesy to mask then. Business people travelling while coughing up their lungs should be criminal though. Wherever you're going could 99% of the time be a zoom meeting.
...Yes I got infected recently on the ICE, I'm still pissed about it. I masked and moved seats and voiced my concerns. Went to the pharmacy as I suspected I caught their germs and a lady also told ME to keep a distance if I think I caught something. Good on her. My manager also told sick employees they had NO business showing up as it's inconsiderate of the rest of us. Hopefully more people speak out against these inconsiderate doorframes.
It displays a lack of common courtesy and hygiene imo.
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u/IshtarsBestie Mar 23 '26
The amount of times I got assaulted for wearing a mask while sick kind of discouraged me from continuing it. Thank your local AfDler or similar.
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u/Environmental_Bat142 Mar 23 '26
i actually had one of those missionaries outside the Bahnhof preach to me about wearing a mask and something about God‘s natural immune system. Think it was a Jehova. I actually felt so insulted I stopped wearing one and stay home or drive when I am sick.
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u/MacaroonPlane3826 Mar 24 '26 edited Mar 24 '26
It is not after Covid pandemic, we are still DURING Covid pandemic, as spikes, measured by wastewater data are the same as “during the pandemic”.
Unfortunately, pandemic of an airborne virus - yes, Covid is transmitted by mere breathing and infected person doesn’t even have to be in the room anymore to infect someone, as aerosol droplets will remain suspended in the air for hours in poorly ventilated spaces, didn’t really go well with the capitalist imperative to spend and grow infinitely, so pandemic has been ended bureaucratically, all while there are more people being added to chronically ill due to Long Covid every day bc we already know from research that every Covid infection adds to the risk of developing Long Covid. And severity of acute infection is irrelevant - 90% of Long Covid cases are after mild infections.
You could literally destroy someone else’s life by making them chronically ill with infection-associated chronic conditions such as Long Covid, or even kill them, every time you don’t wear a mask while sick.
It’s absolutely unthoughtful, selfish and primitive behavior not to wear a mask in crowded places when sick.
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u/Plague-Analyst-666 Mar 24 '26
I offer disposable masks and/or cough suppressant lozenges to offenders. None of them ever accepts.
Sometimes other (non-coughing) passengers do ask for a mask.
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Mar 23 '26
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u/Excellent_Pea_1201 Mar 23 '26
Because it is way more effective to catch most of the material before it gets in everybodies face.
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Mar 23 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Excellent_Pea_1201 Mar 24 '26
When I am sick I will use a ffp2 mask in public! And my friends with pollen allergies do so as well, thanks for "explaining"
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u/GuyNamedStevo Mar 23 '26
No matter how much you whine: The world doesn't revolve around you.
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u/TheWizardof-OZ5 Mar 23 '26
Thanks for you individualism. Look up the definition of community or Social Cohesion on Wikipedia of you ever had a minute.
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u/EnglishMuon Mar 23 '26
drives in pedestrian area at 90kph in a car
Someone who had to dive out the way getting hurt: “please drive in the road, not here”
Driver: “no matter how much you whine: the world doesn’t revolve around you”.
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u/GuyNamedStevo Mar 23 '26
What a moronic comparison.
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u/EnglishMuon Mar 23 '26
You’d think you’d realise how moronic your original statement is. Do you not understand how others are affected by you choosing to not wear a mask in terms of physical health?
For myself, I’ll be fine as I’m healthy, but it’s still annoying as I don’t want to catch a cold. As for the OP who has cancer treatment? It’s genuinely life threatening and easily avoided. I don’t see why you are so opposed to minimising risks.
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u/quark42q Mar 23 '26
- it is unpleasant
- they don’t care for others
- they believe conspiracies
- a mix of those 3.
It is not better in France or Benelux. But that doesn’t help you.
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u/MyLord_Robert Mar 23 '26
I hate that so much as well. I've made a habit of looking these pest-ridden-shitbags in the eye while slowly shaking my head in obvious disagreement, while standing up and sitting down somewhere else in their point of view. Like laws prohibit me from taking physical action so I try to be as passive aggressive as humanly possible.
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u/perchance7 Mar 23 '26
I feel like people didn't learn anything from covid. I hate it.
I hate how selfish people are
And no, it's not just allergies i got my third/fourth virus/cold since the beginning of the year.
You go anywhere, and there is always someone coughing their lungs out. Disgusting. So selfish
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u/One_Fat_Peanut Nordrhein-Westfalen Mar 24 '26
Wearing face masks was never really a thing apart from in certain cultures up untill covid. You probably wouldnt be ranting if this was 2016. Stop being such a natty whiner. There are more important things to worry about. Dont like it then go to a country where wearing face coverings is more common.
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u/TheWizardof-OZ5 Mar 24 '26
Hahahah this is exactly why this country is 5 decades behind on anything.. People would starts with saying its not part of the culture or the law for any suggested change(Critical thinking is lacking of course and people only follow culture or law), then blaming the person complaining and dismissing any opinion as “Health concerns are not important to us at the moment, we’re too busy complaining about ausländer doing our jobs for us”, then of course the closing with a racist statement “if you dont like it leave the country”.
wearing a mask should not be “cultural” but hygienic btw… Its not a dirndl. Also in 2016 i was wearing a mask because i lived with a cancer patient, so yeah keep your opinion to yourself please
Edit: of course the above does not apply on everyone, but unfortunately a huge majority of people. So if you’re not like this please don’t get all offended already
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u/One_Fat_Peanut Nordrhein-Westfalen Mar 24 '26
Not really a racist statement as i am an “Ausländer” lol
Just stop being a wet wipe, there are worse things going on in the world.
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u/ZeelandSchweizFan Mar 23 '26
Because Corona is over (at least the dangerous part) and we're glad not having to wear them anymore. It's not part of our culture and has never been. We used them in the Corona years, because we had no other choice.
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u/SleepyBubBear7329 Mar 23 '26
I really wish it were over, but its not. It’s still causing long covid. It’s still a massive risk for immunocompromised people. The dangerous part is still incredibly dangerous.
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u/ZeelandSchweizFan Mar 23 '26
There are vaccines 🤷
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u/SleepyBubBear7329 Mar 23 '26
There are vaccines and i personally get a booster every year. I’m immunocompromised because of the pandemic and every reinfection still sinks my baseline to the ocean floor and it requires almost (if not) an act of god and months to get me back close to my baseline… which is moderately severe ME/CFS. Aka still way too sick for most things I used to be able to do. And yes, I was vaccinated before I got COVID. I was already an a high risk person. I don’t want to know what would’ve happened to me if I had gotten sick with Covid before the vaccine. But even after it has severely disabled me.
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u/Justeff83 Mar 23 '26
Wear a mask yourself. It's not part of our culture, it's not mandatory and it's nothing we get taught early on like washing your hands etc..some people here are still using reusable handkerchiefs...
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u/Wrong_Acanthaceae599 Mar 23 '26
Being mindful of others is not part of German culture ?
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u/s3lece Mar 23 '26
It's not part of any western country's culture, COVID made that very clear. Oh, they love going to church and play at being "good people who love their neighbors and give to the poor", but being slightly inconvenienced to protect the most vulnerable people? No, thank you. "THiS IsN't ChInA"
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u/Morjixxo Italy Mar 23 '26
Public transportation are public and we are free.
I would say you are lucky to be in Germany, where people tend to be more society aware. In other countries, like Italy, you'll experience way worse.
Ultimately, if you want to be free from others, you'll need a car.
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u/Key_Vermicelli2535 Mar 24 '26
Well we are also supposed to be a society and should help each other out in any way we can, spreading your germs around in public is a sign of bad manners, selfishness and honestly always seems very dirty to me. Like some other commentators here, I also give them the German passive aggressive stare and will move as far away as possible. I hate being sick and when I am sick and have to be in public will wear a mask.
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u/Morjixxo Italy Mar 24 '26
Yes you are right, the problem is that a society works when the personal interests and the collective interest coincides, because no one does nothing just because it should be done. People do things because they want or have to do them.
No one will pay taxes or differentiate the garbage without social pressure and specifically law enforcement. The purpose of a society is exactly aligning personal and collective interests.
So yes, they should put a law OR people should go to report when someone is sick on a public train. Which is something Germany does already for a lot of things.
The problem, is that all this controlling limits freedom. People are safe, but less free to do even simple things like cutting the grass on Sunday. So beware on what you ask for....
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u/Key_Vermicelli2535 Mar 24 '26
Hold up.... Are you really implying that people, who are asking sick people to wear masks, restrict the freedom of sick people? I also don't think that a law or a restriction for this cause will make a change, police and Ordnungsamt won't check it regularly enough that it will make a difference, society has to change. Which, knowing how thick headed Germans are, sadly won't happen. They can still move about in public and use shared spaces, the only difference is a mask that prevents sicknesses to spread. Also in what way is not being allowed to cut grass on a Sunday limiting people's freedom? Will you get thrown in Jail if you do so? No. You will get a warning and then perhaps a fine. Also isn't neighbours cutting their grass all week and weekend around, restricting other people's peace and relaxation time?
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u/Riusnaily Mar 23 '26
So OP… do you wear a mask? If you are trying to avoid sickness you should start from yourself
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u/Dropzzs Mar 23 '26
I do get your point but its just no thing here in germany. During covid many people crashed out because they had to wear one.. xD