the reasons Indonesians Like to Wear Mask While In Public Transportation

Many may say that it must their worries about the quality of air to be the reason for wearing a mask while they are using a public transportaion, like buses or trains. It is not wrong because in several big cities, like Jakarta, the air quality has been worsen year by year and often reaches unhealthy level.

It sounds reasonable. Nobody wants to become ill for inhaling too much bad air everyday.

However, inside a public transportation, especially in a commuter train cabin that is equipped with air conditioning system, that reason is exaggerated. The air inside air conditioned cabin of train should be better than outside air.

There should be other reasons for keep wearing a maM while inside the cabins. Not because they are afraid of inhaling bad air.

There are three other possibilities learned from being a commuter using a train service for almost thirty years.

1. Planning to sleep

Many of train passengers have to wake up early everyday and feel for having not enough sleep.  Therefore, many of them often utilize their time on the public transportation to sleep.

Unfortunately, as you also know well, our body acts unconsciously, especially our mouth. It is often, if it can not be said always, opens without our instruction and let the saliva streams out from the mouth. It provides uneasy view to other passengers and eventually caused embarrassment to us.

This problem is solved by wearing a mask. Nobody will see even we drool.

So, planning to sleep is one of the reason public transportation users to use a mask, even inside the cabin.

2. Having sickness

Sneezing or coughing without closing your mouth can cause disturbance to other passengers. In fact, it is not polite either.

It also means you spread germs to anybody nearby. Everybody likes money but nobody likes germs.

Being more civilized, Indonesians, many of them realize that sickness should be kept for their own and should not be spread. Therefore, if they are forced to travel while they are sick, a mask can help in order to avoid disturbance to other people.

3. Preventing from smelly person

Not everybody knows deodorant and what is its function. Many still think it is fine to let their body spread unpleasant smell.

In fact, it is not. It is like being tortured standing next to sweaty and smelly person and it will always be. Unluckily, you won't have any choices in a crowded cabin of commuter train which allow not many space even for standing. You can't run away from this type of person and if this happens, then it is likely you will have nausea in your stomach.

If you pinch your nose to avoid them from smelling the scent, you may consider impolite.

Difficult situation. But, it can be solved, if you wear a mask.

It doesn't mean that there is no Indonesian wearing a mask in public transportation because they are afraid of the effect of bad quality air. There should be some persons thinking that way. However, they are not majority among the mask wearing people.

Why am I sure about that? In a society that still learns how to dispose their garbage or litter correctly, it doesn't make sense that people think too much about the quality of the air.