“How far would you go to see someone smile?”
That’s a question I ask myself every day as I queue up for my favourite cai png stall. Amid the Covid-19 outbreak, everyone has to wear a mask, and cai png sellers are no different.
“Har?” the food attendant uttered in a muffled tone. “What did you say?”
“Oh, nothing!” I grinned sheepishly. My little thought might just have erupted a little too loudly there. “Braised egg, no sauce please!”
As I watched, she deftly scooped up a precious egg and lifted it oh so gently onto a bed full of steaming hot white rice. And yet I can only find myself wondering, would the cai png experience be better if I can see her smile?
“Har?”
“Oh, nothing! How much ar?”
After I paid, I walked back home, mind still nursing that little, nifty thought.
“I wonder if… others feel the same?”
An Indonesia Airline Refuses to Let Cabin Crew Wear Masks So Passengers Can See Their Smiles
Well, it seems that others may indeed feel the same.
Though rather than cai png, it’s an entire airline.
According to Mothership, passengers have been complaining about how Garuda Indonesia flight attendants wear face masks onboard flights.
Apparently, the patrons were unhappy at being unable to see the flight attendants’ expressions while they were being served.
Considering the current circumstances, I would think that they’ll be happy to see masked attendants serving their food instead.
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But it seems that negative feedback has achieved its purpose…
As Garuda Indonesia has announced that it will be removing the face mask ‘accessory’ from all its flight attendants.
“Many of Garuda’s adult passengers have been complaining about our stewardesses wearing masks,” said the airline’s Chief Executive Officer Irfan Setiaputra during a webinar on June 16, “The passengers cannot tell if they are smiling or frowning.”
“We do not want passengers to board the plane feeling unhappy or stressed out, or thinking, ‘oh, is this an ICU?’ when they get on,” Irfan also said.
“Everyone wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), covered from head-to-toe, that’s not right.”
But this does not mean that the airline will be going all ‘lax’ in the preventative measure department. While it’s true that flight attendants will no longer wear masks, they will still be required to adopt alternative measures such as face shields. Interactions with passengers will also be minimised to mitigate transmission risks.
So it’s still reasonably safe, for now. It should be noted that other precautionary measures are also in place.
Before embarking on their journey, all passengers have to go through a polymerase chain reaction test to check for Covid-19. Health checks are also ‘administered’ on each crew member before departure.
However, Garuda’s decision might come across as a stark contrast to airlines over in the United States. Apparently, airlines in the states have warned passengers that they may face future bans if they do not mask up now.
Well, things sure are different everywhere you go.
To Wear Or Not To Wear, That Is The Question
While routine face masks do little to protect oneself from the virus, they do serve to prohibit potential spreaders from inadvertently ‘passing’ the epidemic around.
So in a sense, a face mask is indeed necessary for the cause.
However, one can argue that a face shield is proficient in such a way as well, and the fact that it’s transparent will surely appeal to customers of the airline.
So it’s really a win-win situation.
But of course, only time will tell whether customers got what they were appealing for, or more than what they requested for.
As for me, I’ll just continue ordering from my dear masked cai png lady. See, I might not be able to see her smile…
But if it means a reduced possibility of contracting the virus, I think I’m more than happy to take it.
“Har? You can don’t keep mumbling everyday alnot?”
“Haha sorry about that. Oh yeah I want that fish over there.”
And besides, there’s always something called body language.
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