For a lot of people, the sight of masks and sanitizing wipes being handed out on a plane triggers memories of the COVID-19 pandemic. Of a time when, as a collective, we were scared, isolated, and uncertain of what was going on with the world around us.
News of a hantavirus outbreak tied to a cruise ship has been circulating, and with it, the familiar anxiety of anyone who lived through the early days of COVID-19.
That’s why this gesture from a flight attendant has this woman so unsettled.
What Does This Mean?
In a trending video with more than 132,000 views, content creator @madlovepoprocks recounts boarding a flight out of Anchorage bound for Tennessee when something caught her off guard.
“I fly often—once, twice a month,” she says. “Something happened yesterday that has not happened, at least that I’ve seen, in probably three years—maybe four.”
The airline was offering masks and sanitizing wipes to passengers. She says she took both. Looking around the cabin, she realized she was the only one wearing a mask.
“They’re preparing,” she says.
In the caption, she included two hashtags: “hantavirus” and “mask.”
What Is Hantavirus?
Hantavirus is a group of viruses carried by rodents that can cause severe illness in humans. People typically get infected through contact with infected rodents or their urine, droppings, or saliva—not usually through casual human-to-human contact, the World Health Organization explained.
In the Americas, hantavirus can cause hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome, a severe respiratory illness with a case fatality rate of up to 50%. In Europe and Asia, a different strain causes hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, which primarily affects the kidneys and blood vessels. Globally, an estimated 10,000 to over 100,000 infections occur each year, though cases in the Americas remain rare. The U.S. has reported fewer than 1,000 cases total.
The current outbreak involves the Andes virus strain, which is found in South America and is the only known hantavirus strain that can spread person to person through prolonged contact (like housemates).
Is This Another COVID?
Experts are stressing that this is not another COVID.
“This is not another COVID. Based on scientific assessment and based on evidence, the risk is low,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told CBS News.
CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Céline Gounder put it plainly, comparing COVID to dry forest conditions that spark a wildfire while calling hantavirus “a wet log in a stone fireplace.”
COVID spreads through the air and has a short incubation period. Hantavirus, on the other hand, infects deep in the lungs. And it requires prolonged close contact to transmit between people, giving health officials more time to contain it.
Are Travelers Still Reaching For Masks?
@madlovepoprocks noted she was the only person on the plane wearing a mask. And that tracks. According to AFAR, flight attendant Rich Henderson typically sees fewer than 10 people masking on any given flight carrying around 200 passengers.
The reasons are a mix of comfort, psychology, and the simple fact that once the mandates lifted in April 2022, the social norm around masking evaporated with them.
“If you walk onto a plane and most passengers are unmasked, that sends a signal that being unmasked is the norm,” behavioral scientist Dr. Bree Heminway told AFAR.
But the case for masking while traveling hasn’t actually gone away. Thomas A. Russo, MD, professor of medicine and chief of infectious diseases at the University at Buffalo, told AFAR that high-risk travelers are at a particular disadvantage when so many people have stopped masking entirely. And it’s not just about what’s circulating at any given moment. People frequently board planes while sick, not wanting to cancel their plans, potentially exposing everyone around them.
Aircraft HEPA filters do a solid job of cleaning cabin air, but respiratory particles can still travel a short distance before being caught by the filtration system.
Commenters React
“I never stopped wearing a mask on the plane or airport. No regrets!” a top comment read.
“People are so weird about masks. I get nasty looks for wearing them,” a person said.
“I really don’t have the energy for another pandemic,” another wrote.
“Smart lady! As much as I hate mask, I enjoy living,” a commenter added.
BroBible reached out to @madlovepoprocks for comment via TikTok direct message and comment. We’ll be sure to update this if they respond.