Pandemic oddities: how elevators became a war zone in New York

The coronavirus pandemic has made many changes in the lives of New Yorkers. One of them is the need to share an elevator with neighbors in multi-storey buildings. And if some rules of etiquette are forced to put up with the situation, others are not averse to come into conflict over the right to travel alone. The edition writes about it New York Post.

In most New York City homes, no more than four residents are allowed to use the elevator at a time. In this case, all passengers must use protective masks during the trip. This leads to clashes between people: some refuse to let their neighbors into the elevator, preferring to go alone, while others enter an already full elevator, making those who entered first get nervous.

Waiting time in the lobby is unbearable and makes people nervous. In some cases, porters are forced to intervene to stop conflicts.

Chess instructor Evan Rabin from the Upper West Side got into one of these conflicts. He insisted on entering the elevator with a person who preferred to ride alone, whom he called a "germophobe" (a germophobe is a person who is terrified of germs. - Ed.). The incident took place in a thirty-story building. The passengers swore until the doorman ordered them to stop arguing and give the elevator to another occupant. “It was definitely embarrassing,” Rabin said.

A resident of the Upper East Side said her teenage daughter also came into conflict with an elevator passenger, wanting to maintain social distance. The 54-year-old woman chose not to be named because she fears retaliation from the council of the cooperative. She said that her daughter politely asked the housekeeper to take the next elevator when he stopped on the lower floor, saying that he only took the elevator with his family. “The housekeeper shouted,“ I won't wait. I've waited long enough. If you don't want to take the elevator with me, then get out! " - said the woman.

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She decided to alert the council to this situation. The latter had previously sent emails stating that residents were allowed to ride the elevator alone if they wanted to. “We decided not to travel with others to protect ourselves and others, which drives some people crazy in our building,” she said. - I'm building extra waiting times into my schedule. It seems that people have very little patience these days. "

But does it make sense to fight others for the right to ride the elevator alone? After all, in an elevator it is difficult to maintain a social distance of two meters. But experts say the risk of contracting COVID-19 on such short journeys is minimal for masked passengers.

However, there are people who are not reassured by such information. For example, 42-year-old Lydia, who has diabetes. She asked not to be given her full name for confidentiality reasons. The woman is worried that she is at greater risk of contracting the coronavirus than others. Therefore, she often warns other passengers that she is sick. One man in response to this once asked if it was contagious before agreeing to Lydia's request.

Meanwhile, math teacher Carol Tashjian, also from the Upper East Side, finds the long wait especially difficult. This is mainly due to the fact that three elevators in the building where she lives are closed in turn for repairs. Despite the inconvenience, the rules have not been canceled, and only four people can use the elevator at a time.

Shai Canaan of the Upper West Side said that the 16-story building where he lives has recently been limited to two passengers. This leads to long lines in the hallway. “There are fifty people in the hallway to ride in twos, and it really takes a lot of time,” Canaan said. "But when people finally get into an elevator and talk on a cell phone, they release more virus, so it's even worse."

As for Rabin, who argued with his germophobic neighbor, he was out of luck, since he “almost every day” faces his enemy in the elevator and in the foyer. “I just pretend not to see him,” Rabin said.