Learning COVID-19 Prevention Tricks from Crowd Behavior in Public Places Like the Post Office

A second-hand book I had been consigning on an online auction for years finally got a bid and was sold. The fact that a tech book nearly twenty years old still retained more than half its original price was surprising, and it also led me to pay a long-overdue visit to a regional branch of Chunghwa Post.

Taking this rare opportunity, I carefully observed what measures people take to protect themselves during the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19, commonly known as the Wuhan virus) outbreak in public places — whether good self-protection methods or bug-level mistakes, all can serve as a reference for yourself.

To be precise, in recent years the interior design of both large and small businesses’ office environments and storefronts has shown a strong preference for open-space planning. The once-layered and compartmentalized core business areas and customer flow paths were broken down, creating a relaxed atmosphere for conversation.

But looking at the current situation, once a globally widespread epidemic crisis hits, these expensively renovated spaces are one by one temporarily fitted with various transparent soft partitions or have their distances widened, returning to the era of clearly drawn boundaries. In the end, perhaps the rigid partition design of Chunghwa Post’s branch offices best meets real-world needs.

Fridays used to be packed, but perhaps affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, the post office that afternoon was not as crowded as expected. In particular, a row of savings service counters — now that online banking is so advanced — could be described as deserted. Still, the postal service number I drew required waiting about ten numbers before my turn.

Scanning the post office at a glance, apart from one male clerk behind the counter and a male staff member handling precious metals in the walkway outside who were not wearing masks, all staff were basically fully equipped. The other people, whether sitting or standing, had likewise deployed masks ahead of schedule — except me (ahem).

Although I forgot to bring a face mask when going out, I was not short on the concept of safety protection. I did not touch things or my face carelessly, deliberately stayed away from crowds, and even stood out by the roadside while waiting, only charging straight to the counter when my number was called.

More importantly, at the entrance where everyone turned a blind eye to the alcohol spray, I even used it twice.

If we are truly serious about the viral threat, I actually do not understand why everyone obediently wears masks yet all crowds together in the unventilated seating area for warmth, and does not even disinfect their hands, and some even deliberately move their masks down to their chins at the counter to talk more easily (eye roll) — not to mention that some people’s masks have huge gaps in how they are worn.

It is said that this novel coronavirus can float in the air in the form of aerosol particles for quite a while, but the truly high infection rate comes from droplets directly expelled from the mouth and nose (in plain terms, breathing in a sneeze), as well as contact infection when hands touch objects in public places, pick up the virus, and then subconsciously touch mucous membranes such as the eyes, mouth, and nose.

In fact, the most important point in reducing the possibility of infection is whether you are constantly aware that you may be in a place full of viruses. At the very least, you should keep your hands clean at all times, which many people may find troublesome.

Mysterious voice: Those with a cleanliness obsession are blessed; homebodies are prophets.

I believe that if the novel coronavirus could be visualized, appearing concretely around daily life as individual spheres, everyone could easily dodge the virus’s pursuit (dodge).

There is another rather interesting observation point. In the past, to prevent bank robbers, notices were posted at the entrance stating that helmets and masks must be removed when entering banks and post offices, which somewhat reduced robbers’ willingness to try anything.

But recently, because of the COVID-19 outbreak, whether masks should or can be worn into banks has instead become an awkward topic.

Chunghwa Post Tamsui Post Office Entrance

Please refer to the image above. The Tamsui Post Office was quite thorough — it directly covered the word “mask” with white paper, so everyone can wear masks into the post office with peace of mind. I just do not know whether this is the foresight of the Tamsui Post Office or the epidemic prevention policy of Chunghwa Post and even other public and private banks.

Note: The Tamsui Post Office placed the alcohol spray at the edge of the center of the entire counter, that is, the position directly in the middle upon entering the main door. But people often split off to the left (postal) and right (savings) immediately upon entering, so the center position instead becomes a visual blind spot. Rather than placing it somewhere people cannot easily use, it would be better to put the alcohol right next to the number-ticket machine.