My housemates and collegues are not following the goverment guildlines! :s Am I overreacting?

banalama

At home: I live in a 4 person houseshare. No one is vulnerable and we are all in our mid 20's although the landlord who lives with us is 30's smoker. 
I work a 9-5 job for a bank in a call centre whilst my other housemates work from home or are on furlough.
We all know each other from Uni and got on find until Covid19 came into our lives. We had a house meeting to discuss the changes to our hygiene routine, everyone was happy to follow the rules. Little did we know my landlord had other plans. It was only when we started changing our habbits that we found out that he thinks the goverment guidlines are over the top and ridiculous. He will not wash his hands after entering the house for whatever reason, including after touching the bin lid (he thinks wiping his hands on his clothes will do the trick), instead he will go straight into the kitchen and casually start making a meal whilst touching everything in the communal area i.e. surfaces, drawers and doors. We have confronted him over this as politely as we can but it ends up being an argument. He continues to wear his shoes he wore the day before from the shops around the house even when he isn't going out.

He offered to do the shop this week and when he came in, (despite having the discussion that we were going to wash everything together before we put everything away) he ignored this and did it anyway without cleaning anything.

I have on several occasions asked him one to one in all sorts of ways to please maintain some hygiene because its causing me and my other housemate lots of anxiety. It caused me so much worry that I cried to him. He just thinks I am overeacting and it's getting to me. I have tried looking for other places to live but I can't afford to. I have no family or friends who can put me up which I understand. 

At work: the call centre is a lot busier than usual because of the current pandemic. The managers are doing their best to follow the guidlines but there are still idiots who continue to cough without covering their mouths. One collegue had confirmed Covid19 but is back in work and still coughing (which is normal according to the .gov website) he has experienced it yet he openly coughs on anything in sight. It is stressing me the **** out! I go into the toilet and people are not washing their hands properly.

People are disgusting! 

Am I overeacting? 

Comms69

I wouldnt say you're overreacting, you're free to react how you choose, but you have no say on what others do. 

In short if you arent happy, find a new home and a new job, because guidelines are not enforceable; and in anycase dont apply to domestic properties.

SashikoStitcher

You are overreacting about wiping/washing the shopping and the shoes being worn inside. The bloke not washing his hands after touching the bin lid then preparing food is pretty grim, Covid or no Covid. He’s also being a !!!!!! if he refuses to alter any of his behaviour when it is clearly causing you anxiety (he could at least compromise on the hand washing). 

Solution- don’t eat his food, wash your own hands frequently and remember not to touch your face. As for work, speak to management about the uncovered coughing and non-handwashing. You are presumably all staying 2m apart so that should mitigate the worst impact though. Bloke who has had Covid will not be contagious any more so it’s a non-issue. 

Try to do some mindfulness or relaxation to help you deal with your anxiety. Good luck. 

pickledonionspaceraider

I don't think you are over reacting at all
Most of these behaviours are grim - even at best of times. Coughing without covering mouth, wearing outside shoes in the house, touching a bin and then prepping a meal

I think now, with how paranoid we all are, peoples regular grim habits have become more apparent and it is causing a lot of people to worry

[Deleted User]

As @pickledonionspaceraider says, these kind of habits have always been grim.  The problem you have is that you live in the landlord's house.  You can have as many house meetings as you like but ultimately it's the landlord's rules you need to live by and it doesn't take much to evict a lodger.  As for the call centre that's always been a grim environment were people are expected to come in even will ill.  I worked in a couple of call centres whilst at university and I've never had some many bouts of norovirus thanks to hot desking with some absolute mingers.  I remember having to sit next to one woman who was heaving into a bin in between calls all because she'd already been off once that year and so was already on a personal improvement plan, one more absence and she would receive a verbal warning despite clearly being sick and spreading a highly contagious virus around the office.  Talk to your manager about the dirty beggar coughing without covering their mouth.  Usually I'd expect a call centre manager to ignore it but you might get some traction this time.

Marvel1

A home - hit him where it hurts (his pockets) and move out.

Work - tell the colleague to cover their mouth when they cough.

banalama

SashikoStitcher said:

You are overreacting about wiping/washing the shopping and the shoes being worn inside. The bloke not washing his hands after touching the bin lid then preparing food is pretty grim, Covid or no Covid. He’s also being a !!!!!! if he refuses to alter any of his behaviour when it is clearly causing you anxiety (he could at least compromise on the hand washing). 

Solution- don’t eat his food, wash your own hands frequently and remember not to touch your face. As for work, speak to management about the uncovered coughing and non-handwashing. You are presumably all staying 2m apart so that should mitigate the worst impact though. Bloke who has had Covid will not be contagious any more so it’s a non-issue. 

Try to do some mindfulness or relaxation to help you deal with your anxiety. Good luck. 

Nothing seems to make him change his habits. He knows that we can't really move out at this time and hes just having a power trip. I've stopped eating his food. It's stressful at work, commuting and then I have to go home to a germ filled home. I stay in my room nowadays and started using my mini fridge and kettle in my room. Feels like student days but worst! 
We don't know how long the immunity lasts for after contracting Covid and even if my colleague has immunity, from observing his hygiene habits it will be a matter of time they get it again and pass it on others even if they are immune. I've stopped using the kettle at work too after I saw a collegue cough into their hands and then handle the kettle.  
Hard to be mindfulness when I'm on tenterhooks when I'm awake all times of the day. 

banalama

Lover_of_Lycra said:

As @pickledonionspaceraider says, these kind of habits have always been grim.  The problem you have is that you live in the landlord's house.  You can have as many house meetings as you like but ultimately it's the landlord's rules you need to live by and it doesn't take much to evict a lodger.  As for the call centre that's always been a grim environment were people are expected to come in even will ill.  I worked in a couple of call centres whilst at university and I've never had some many bouts of norovirus thanks to hot desking with some absolute mingers.  I remember having to sit next to one woman who was heaving into a bin in between calls all because she'd already been off once that year and so was already on a personal improvement plan, one more absence and she would receive a verbal warning despite clearly being sick and spreading a highly contagious virus around the office.  Talk to your manager about the dirty beggar coughing without covering their mouth.  Usually I'd expect a call centre manager to ignore it but you might get some traction this time.

Thanks for the advice. Several people have brought it up with the managers who deal with it, it's said and then things continue as they were. They sit in their glass rooms away from everyone else. When I said they tried their best, they literally have. They have done the minimum.

General_Applause

pickledonionspaceraider said:

I don't think you are over reacting at all
Most of these behaviours are grim - even at best of times. Coughing without covering mouth, wearing outside shoes in the house, touching a bin and then prepping a meal

I think now, with how paranoid we all are, peoples regular grim habits have become more apparent and it is causing a lot of people to worry

I can't speak for your bin but mine is full of stuff that was in the house anyway. The stuff was not toxic when it was outside of the bin and it didn't turn toxic the minute it was put in the bin.

Unless you are spilling stuff all over the bin lid and leaving it, I would wager there are more germs on your dishcloth or teatowel than on your bin lid.

And as for describing the wearing of outside shoes inside as 'grim', you sound very delicate.

Fireflyaway

This whole panic buying of hand sanitiser, soap and bleach made me question what hygiene people usually maintain?! I've not changed because I always wash my hands when I come in, go to the bathroom, clean up after the animals, cook etc. The people you mention are the people that ordinarily spread flu, food poisoning etc. You are just noticing more now because corona virus is obviously very serious and scary. I don't think you are over reacting though. You shouldn't have to have a meeting to agree to wash your hands! They should do it anyway. 
Maybe you can't do it immediately but I agree when you can to move house. Your landlord is being uncaring and irresponsible. For work get a box of tissues and put them in an obvious place, pointing out where they are to anyone who is coughing etc! 

SashikoStitcher

You’re determined not to accept any advice or engage with anyone who is telling you that your sense of perspective might be a bit skewed. This is anxiety, if you’re not prepared to look at strategies for coping with it there is not much that can be done. 

Wearing outside shoes inside is seen by some people as dirty/unhygienic; to others it is completely normal and acceptable. It’s a cultural and/or upbringing thing. Neither side of the debate is right or wrong, the only solution is to live with people who share your view on the subject.