Australian Broadcasting Corporation journalist Andy Park was sitting near two passengers involved in the row and filmed the heated exchange.
The video shows how a woman appears to cough without properly covering her face. The passenger sitting in front of her promptly removes his sunglasses and calls the act “disgusting.” The woman responds by arguing that she coughed “inside [her] mouth” without actually opening her mouth. The exchange continues for a while until the woman, seemingly on purpose, coughs into the man’s direction. The latter then argues that it is the government’s advice to “cover your mouth when you cough.”
The incident proves that the line between overreaction and legitimate health concerns can be a fine one amid the growing anxiety over coronavirus. When questioned about the incident, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard stressed it was not a time to overreact. “It’s not a situation for being rude or offensive to people who you come into contact with on public transport, or otherwise,” he explained.
