Everyone is getting upset about the new cases of covid-19 surging in our once-safe city.  The governor is not going to enforce mask wearing, but it looks like we’ll have to be extra careful about handwashing and other sanitary habits.  Yesterday,  I saw a woman brushing her teeth at the restroom sink in  the public library. She didn’t appear to be homeless. Nicely dressed, fairly well groomed.  Maybe she was going to a meeting and didn’t want to have bad breath.  All I know is that she was spitting in the sink, and saliva can spread the coronavirus.   Perhaps they should post a sign: Please  don’t brush teeth in library.

Etiquette wise, it’s considered acceptable for a person to brush their teeth in a public restroom. But do you want to wash your hands in a sink where someone has spit their food, saliva and germs?   In fact, someone  with the virus may have contaminated the entire area where you’re turning on water,  and reaching for the soap dispenser.

Let’s go back and assume this person actually was homeless.  Maybe she had nice clothes, and was well groomed, because she wasn’t always homeless. Perhaps she began living in her car just a couple of days ago.  Anything is possible.  I just know she was creating a health hazard not only for herself, but for anyone who used the sink after she did. .

It’s hard to know how to handle a situation like this.  I’m not into confrontations with strangers, so I didn’t say a word.  However,  I didn’t care to wash my hands in that sink.  So I left the restroom without doing so.   Found some sanitizer at one of the desks.  Wiped my hands with a Kleenex (they don’t have paper towels) as best I could and tried to avoid touching anything except the books I was checking out.  Luckily, I’ve been vaccinated, so I’m not as vulnerable as some. But still.  Please don’t brush your teeth in the library–or any public restroom..