‘We have Covid, shhh’: plane passenger shocked by woman’s text on flight

‘Is this even legal?’ asks fellow traveller

(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A plane passenger was reportedly shocked to glimpse a woman’s text message over her shoulder on a recent flight which read, “We have Covid, shhhh”.

The traveller uploaded a picture of the message on the woman’s phone to Reddit, along with the caption: “Is this even legal?”.

The rest of the message in the image shared reads: “That’s why we’re returning home a day early. On the plane…”

It is unclear whether the incident, which quickly went viral on social media, was real, with some users suggesting the photo had been faked.

Others pontificated that the woman wrote the message on purpose as she knew she was being watched.

“Plot twist: she only typed that because she knows the asshole behind her is reading the messages,” said one commenter, while another wrote: “To be fair, on the subway once I clearly saw the girl next to me reading my texts so I typed out something deranged just to get her to move away from me.”

However, numerous Reddit users thought that, if the post was authentic, the woman’s actions had been deeply irresponsible.

“That's when you say loudly to her ‘Wait... You have COVID?’ and let the others around her know. Watch her squirm,” commented one.

Another user wrote: “Imagine knowing you have a crazy fast transmissible virus then willing putting others at risk by getting in a metal tube with it. Gotta love selfish plague rats.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US recently updated its guidance for how long people should isolate for after testing positive for Covid or potential exposure to the virus.

The CDC generally advises that people isolate for at least five days after testing positive.

If symptoms are improving or they have remained asymptomatic after day five, they can leave isolation but should wear a mask around others, according to the CDC.