BBC proms host says Covid pandemic has increased stigma, as people fear infecting others
Once considered simply a vital bodily function, coughing could be joining the list of unacceptably disruptive behaviours in theatres, along with excessive rustling, talking and using your mobile phone, as people have become more concerned about contagion risk due to Covid.
The change has been welcomed by BBC Proms host, Petroc Trelawny, who said one unexpected benefit of the pandemic that he has observed is that people no longer disturb performances in theatres by “coughing unnecessarily”.
In an interview with the Radio Times, Trelawny speculated that the stigma associated with potentially infecting others with Covid could mean that it will no longer be considered acceptable to cough in public, in a change that would be “particularly beneficial to music lovers”.
