This morning, I saw queues of standing close people at street.
Unbelievable.
CoVid-19 coronavirus outbreak has been known for more than a month, people all wearing masks are everywhere. CoVid-19 coronavirus outbreak and transmission threat do not change people’s queuing-up habit. They stand very close to others as usual.
On shop windows, instruction has been posted for weeks, warning people to keep more than 1 meter distance from others in waiting lines. On ground, oil painted lines were scribed for queuing people to stand and keep distance. Some people follows that instruction, some do not.
Compared to virus transmission, People are afraid more of queue jumpers. Especially aged people follow previous one tightly. It is common queuing–up habit in China. Why they have such habit?
In history, we were poor and in scarcity. People to get service/goods had to be queuing long line up. Materials were not enough to be offered to everyone. Besides, We have very huge population. Sometimes, only people at front of that line could get. Every waiting line was like a field full of runners competing with others. One who lost tension and kept distance with his/her ahead person was always warned by his/her following people. Lines were long and people had to be waiting for hours. So, people used to stand as close as possible, hoping speed up line's moving.
Usually, the longer the waiting line is, the more anxious the waiting people are. They are keen to accelerate the queue and move fast to get closer and closer. In my memory, people making waiting line in China always keep as close as possible.
Nowadays, the virus transmission made government to regulate people's waiting distance and have the distance lines painted on ground.
Aged people are in their habits of standing close to others and ignore those lines on ground.
Such habits should be modified by more regulators on spot.
Any why, a unique scene you can see in China that is made by waiting people with tension and competitive minds.
This is a land full of mutual support, collabration, and competitions etc.
