IF THERE is one thing I have noticed about the H1NI flu, it's that the Japanese have some of the most beautiful mask designs.
Maybe that's why they are not afraid to wear them as they have become some sort of fashion statement.
Over the past week, I have had first-hand experience in seeing how people of different countries deal with the outbreak and short of one extremely ugly instance, it seems that many have learned to live and cope with it.
This all started in early April when I was informed about covering the Wireless Enterprise Symposium in Orlando, Florida. My excitement was tempered somewhat when "swine flu" hit, especially since the event, held on the first week of May, fell during the window period where not many companies were willing to make drastic decisions.
By this, I mean that my airline would not allow me a refund if I cancelled my trip, and my insurance company would not cover the cost of cancellation should I opt out of traveling.
My wife, who chose to join me (and was therefore the main reason why I could not tell BlackBerry, who sponsored the trip, that I was bailing on them), already bought her ticket and we decided then to take our own precautions.
The first thing we did was hunt for Tamiflu, the much sought after flu drug, as a measure of defence and not protection. This was the day after the news ran that pharmacies had run out and we had to call several clinics to hunt it down.
It was actually a small neighbourhood one that had stocks, and was willing to prescribe it. (To the bigger boys, shame on you for not thinking about the health and safety of outbound Singapore travelers.)
With our bags filled with masks and medication, we set off for Japan, our first stopover and despite the fact that both Singapore and Japan did not have any reported cases, several travelers, including ourselves, had on face masks during the trip. Whether it worked was one thing, but Sars sure put us on our toes.
And from Japan, it was off to Chicago and then, Orlando, Florida, where you would be surprised, from the looks of people going about their daily routine, that there was news of a worldwide viral outbreak. There were no masks worn, and no attempts to shuttle new arrivals to any holding area. But neither were there any scornful looks at us mask wearers.
When we turned on the news or read the papers however, the news of the H1N1 flu was everywhere, as it was back home. But it wasn't apathy that struck the Americans – it was that they had their own ways in dealing with the flu.
Maybe the hot impending summer temperatures made it uncomfortable to wear the face masks outdoors, but in little ways, the Americans showed their clean hygiene habits.
You know, when they walk away to sneeze or cover the faces when they coughed. And not stick their fingers in their noses and start digging. Or talk when taking food from the buffet table, or cleaning their hands (constantly) with the hand sanitizers placed throughout the conference location at the Orlando World Centre.
But deep down, people were afraid.
Dan Morrison, chief operating office of Research In Motion, the folks behind the BlackBerry and the event, revealed that there were some attendees, both international and domestic, who called ahead and cancelled due to H1N1 flu, and there was initial fear that the event would be under attended.
But by all counts, measures were put in place, preventive actions made and the four day event, which saw over 5,000 people from around the world went off without a hitch.
And on our way back a week later, when more states had reported confirmed swine flu cases, it was still more or less business as usual. O'Hare had a public address system that reminded travelers to be more vigilant, and many more (mainly Asians) had on face masks. By the time we arrived in Hong Kong on our final stop-over, it seemed that the vigilance was paying off, with countries lowering their alert levels.
But wait, what about the ugly instance I mentioned?
It was right after we landed on UA Flight 895 and were waiting to disembark. At this moment, when some passengers were still trying to remove their hand carry from the overhead compartments, two Singaporeans travelers, a male and a female, started shoving past everyone else down the aisle, attempting, I would guess, to be the first to get off the plane.
Yes, they were Singaporeans because of their accents and in their mad push to get ahead, they were shoving and touching many ahead of them on the queue, including myself. It is about personal space and yes, the “excuse me” they muttered made it even worse.
Can you imagine a person standing alongside you on the narrow aisle, saying the words in so close a proximity such that you can imagine their droplets of saliva landing on your clothes? It is rather ironic that my closest brush with poor personal hygiene happened not when I was halfway around the world, but right at my doorstep.
Luckily, I still have my box of Tamiflu with me, just in case. But why I should have even needed it in the first place is beyond me.