What's the weirdest request you've seen to deal with COVID-19?

[Christine]

She needs to completely stay home because she wants a bit more space than someone else does? That seems like a pretty extreme proclamation to me.

Not only that, it seems a bit judgmental. Like: if you're not comfortable with the way *I* believe things should be, then you don't deserve to go out in public. Really, can't we all just get along? The woman's request was not crazy nor hard to accomplish. We all know that 6 feet is good, 12 feet is better.

This whole attitude of "if you're so scared stay home" is just insulting. People can't always stay home, nor should they have to. If everyone would just be respectful and do all they can to avoid transmitting or catching it and quit trying to be jerks, we'd all have a better time of it.

 

[lisaviolet]

I was absolutely in the wrong in both of these situations, but regardless they made me laugh -

Elevators.

My condo elevators are not big. We are allowed three people only, during the virus. It is impossible to be six feet apart, but everyone is on board with the best placement possible. Before this more virulent strain, for many reasons I truly believe that the chances of an instant transmission is/was very slim. And obviously we need to mask up.

A couple of times I have forgotten to get my mask on until the last moment. One time when the elevator doors were opening I made that mistake but I had it on, over my mouth/nose but was struggling to hook an ear. Ie. It was hanging a bit as the doors opened. But I was actively hooking it and was covered.

The guy on board walked out. But was standing almost just as close to me to wait for another elevator. As this is not Star Trek, the doors are not a rapid close. It took me a bit to realize what was going on, as no words were exchanged. His choice of course.

The next one made me laugh due to a lack of common sense and what I deem a bit of hysteria. I had taken a commuter train where they try their best to have safety measures but of course you're in an open car with multiple people.

And masks are a must.

i needed to use a one floor only - ie. five second ride - elevator off an outside platform because I was wheeling a granny cart. This elevator was massive. Six feet was not even an issue, with three people. Two people were already on and standing at the back, ie. in the only configuration where six feet was possibly a crapshoot. This elevator was massively long.

i entered the elevator, stood at the front - back to them obviously, and a woman walked off with a huge sigh. Ie. She had to pass me to get off, part of the comical take. And sighed again and loudly said two people only and pointed to a small sign I had missed. While she is saying this she is way closer to me than she was was in the elevator. And would have been for the five second ride. And talking directly, face to face. And much closer to people waiting for the next one, than she ever was to me. And of course she was just on the train with many people for an extended time, not a five second ride.

This time I got off for her, as I was the one not following rules, and got off to stand beside a commuter that had an entire comedy routine on her choices. So at least I got a laugh out of it.

 

[disneychrista]

Elevators.

One thing I think is strange is that people are okay riding in elevators with strangers. I avoid the elevator at work at all costs. I have HAD TO use it once at work and I had 3 other people try to get on the elevator with me, the elevator is tiny maybe a 6 x 6. I asked them to wait. No way I want to be in an elevator with other people.

 

[lisaviolet]

I thing I think that it is strange that people are okay riding in elevators with strangers. I avoid the elevator at work at all costs. I have HAD TO use it once at work and I had 3 other people try to get on the elevator with me, the elevator is tiny maybe a 6 x 6. I asked them to wait. No way I want to be in an elevator with other people.

Impossible here disneychrista. Daily life.

(And many floors! )

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

Not anything weird, but when I have had a dental appointment, they now make me pre-rinse with some peroxide solution. It was nasty and I'll be going again this week so I'm sure I'll have to do it again. I'm not sure if it's overkill or not.

My previous dentist always had us use this rinse. My new one only started after Covid. I wonder if it will be a mainstay now.

——————————

Mine is comical to me. I was in Target in early Dec and was checking out. I was in the checkout late closest to the toiletry section, where they keep the baseball cards, etc. There is an employee stocking the cards. The checkout closest to her is closed, but the one further up is open and that’s where I’m sent. 4 times while I was waiting, a cashier would try to open up that other checkout and she would tell them no, that’s she trying to keep social distance. They’d walk away confused and the next one would come over and try. Then the line from check stand got so long, she asked them to move, so I ended up with a guy right behind me. Thankfully it was my turn to move up to pay, so I was fine. Obviously it’s her right to work and her right to maintain a circle of distance, but I kept thinking that maybe that wasn’t the best location for her and that maybe they should have alerted the cashiers. Makes me wonder if the manager didn’t know since she/he kept sending cashiers there.

 

[lisaviolet]

One thing I think is strange is that people are okay riding in elevators with strangers. I avoid the elevator at work at all costs. I have HAD TO use it once at work and I had 3 other people try to get on the elevator with me, the elevator is tiny maybe a 6 x 6. I asked them to wait. No way I want to be in an elevator with other people.

And that woman on the massive elevator, she would have been closer to a ton of people walking up the stairs, unless she waited for a while. She probably chose the elevator to be relatively isolated from the crowds for a very quick ride, as she didn't seem to need it (no stroller, seemed to walk just fine, was young). And once again, had just got off the train - an extended contained ride.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

One thing I think is strange is that people are okay riding in elevators with strangers. I avoid the elevator at work at all costs. I have HAD TO use it once at work and I had 3 other people try to get on the elevator with me, the elevator is tiny maybe a 6 x 6. I asked them to wait. No way I want to be in an elevator with other people.

Ten story parking garage and two elevators that is used by patients and staff. Either you walk 9 stories or you ride the elevator. Or you wait hours to get one by yourself. I’ve only seen one person refuse to ride with others. Everyone else rolls with it and wears their masks. Security is not letting one person load at a time and having a huge group of people waiting. Either way people will not be social distancing but they’d be together much longer if they don’t get on the elevators.

 

[ronandannette]

I guess I don't see the harm in this. She asked for the amount of personal space that made her feel comfortable, and it doesn't seem like an unusual request to me. Maybe she's an epidemiologist or virologist or something.

As for receipts, I never take them these days either.

Aren't they the ones whose expertise have informed the current (universally recommended) 2m/6' guidelines?

 

[lisaviolet]

Or you wait hours to get one by yourself.

At certain times, and definitely when one is down, we can wait a long time to even follow our three person rule.

A lot of us play the *go down to the parking levels to go up game*, as the lobby gets bypassed so often. I have felt like a priest in the elevator a couple of times with people's guilt over this choice. They let out how people try to shame them.

I am such a rule follower, and a goody goody and I feel nothing.

 

[ronandannette]

My previous dentist always had us use this rinse. My new one only started after Covid. I wonder if it will be a mainstay now.

——————————

Mine is comical to me. I was in Target in early Dec and was checking out. I was in the checkout late closest to the toiletry section, where they keep the baseball cards, etc. There is an employee stocking the cards. The checkout closest to her is closed, but the one further up is open and that’s where I’m sent. 4 times while I was waiting, a cashier would try to open up that other checkout and she would tell them no, that’s she trying to keep social distance. They’d walk away confused and the next one would come over and try. Then the line from check stand got so long, she asked them to move, so I ended up with a guy right behind me. Thankfully it was my turn to move up to pay, so I was fine. Obviously it’s her right to work and her right to maintain a circle of distance, but I kept thinking that maybe that wasn’t the best location for her and that maybe they should have alerted the cashiers. Makes me wonder if the manager didn’t know since she/he kept sending cashiers there.

I had a whole bunch of dental work done mid-December and the special rinse was used for the first time in the 8 years I've been seeing this dentist.

 

[disneychrista]

She probably chose the elevator to be relatively isolated from the crowds for a very quick ride,

Ten story parking garage and two elevators that is used by patients and staff. Either you walk 9 stories or you ride the elevator.

Yet another reason I am glad for my own personal circumstances. Not sure what I would do if an elevator was the only option and it was always crowded.

 

[unrequited23]

My weird one was very early on, back in late March probably when everything was very new. I parked next to another car at the grocery store in the normal fashion (both of us within the lines) and when I came out the people in the other car were there loading their groceries. The lady made a very snide comment about me not leaving 2 meters between our vehicles, which was her expectation of proper social distancing.

This made me laugh because I always socially distance my car when parking. I don't expect anyone else to do this, but figure everyone would appreciate the extra space.

 

[mefordis]

The crazy can always be out crazed.

 

[bcla]

This made me laugh because I always socially distance my car when parking. I don't expect anyone else to do this, but figure everyone would appreciate the extra space.

You can try, but it's going to be difficult. It's not as if one can place a traffic cone to keep other vehicles from parking next to yours. Of course it's a lot easier in a large, relatively empty parking lot. That more or less rules out my local Costco, although part of the reason why people park so far away is because it's got some of the largest parking spaces I've ever seen.

My kid or I might be trying to get into our cars, but I see a lot of vehicles next to ours with a door open and the occupants just hanging out there.

 

[J'aime Paris]

Haven't really had any weird requests but I agree with the lady. 6 feet is NOT enough distance for me, 10 - 12 is what I feel comfortable with. But it is also why I avoid stores as much as possible.

10-12 feet isn't always practical depending upon the size/configuration of a store. And it isn't the common expectation, as is the 6 ft. that has been ingrained into our heads most of 2020.

At my little grocery store, if one customer was in line 12 feet behind another, I'd accidentally cut in line....
12 feet away would put that customer down a shopping aisle.
I'd never guess they were "in line".

The store does have markers on the floor and people adhere to it.

 

[disneychrista]

10-12 feet isn't always practical depending upon the size/configuration of a store.

I know it isn't. Which is why I stay out of stores as much as possible.

 

[bcla]

10-12 feet isn't always practical depending upon the size/configuration of a store. And it isn't the common expectation, as is the 6 ft. that has been ingrained into our heads most of 2020.

At my little grocery store, if one customer was in line 12 feet behind another, I'd accidentally cut in line....
12 feet away would put that customer down a shopping aisle.
I'd never guess they were "in line".

The store does have markers on the floor and people adhere to it.

In my case it was actually possible. There's a huge distance (maybe 20 ft) between the checkout stands and the first aisle. There's another CVS store near me where it's narrower and they've arranged the checkout line as a single line (for all lanes) that loops around. It's actually quite impossible to go by that way without getting within 4 feet of a customer waiting in line. I've literally gone around through other aisles, but then that runs into some shoppers who just stand in the middle of an aisle. People still standing in the middle of an aisle are kind of hard to deal with. Either say something and maybe they get offended, or just quietly walk around them keeping it brief.

 

[FigmentSpark]

My 80 year old mom was in a grocery store before Xmas. A middle aged guy was in the aisle taking up all the space and going the wrong way. This store, and most in her area take the one-way aisles very seriously, so my mom, who was uncomfortable passing him, mentioned he was going the wrong way. He actually told her... an 80 year old woman, clearly nervous about getting a life-threatening disease... to "Shove it up your a$*".

Who does that? I mean, okay, maybe she didn't have to say anything to him, but what kind of person says that to any woman, let alone an elderly woman?

It actually frightened her. Someone who would talk like that to her, in her mind, was capable of doing much worse (like the coughing and other crap people pull in those on line reports/videos).

 

[dvcgirl67]

I don't think I've had any super weird requests, just routines that I've gotten used to over this past year. One is the hand-off routine with my dogs when we go to the Vet. My miniature schnauzer has an auto-immune disease, and developed diabetes due to her needing steroids to keep her alive. So, Sadie and I head to the specialty Vet hospital every two weeks to have her Freestyle Librelink changed, and for various other things she needs. We use a QR code to check in, answer all of the Covid questions, and our parking spot number, and then a masked Vet Tech comes out to get my girl, do their stuff and bring her back. For routine stuff like this, it's actually pretty nice.

 

[Donald13]

She needs to stay home, if you are that uncomfortable going out stay home.

Agree. Most stores offer drive up pick up so she could have gotten whatever she needed that way. To stand 15 back is overkill if your already in a store