Scandinavian distancing(12 Pics)

All these pictures are several years old... The Nordics countries being trendsetters again.

The Nordics have practiced good social distancing for many, many generations...

Finland above here, in a picture that is like the previous two at least 5 years old, showing how to queue for a bus politely.

Then suddenly these Covid-19 stand-close-together rules came! :O

Don’t worry. When possible we still maintain polite distance!

It’s a Scandinavian + Finland cultural thing, and is mainly about our sense of personal space.

We really dislike being harassed and stalked by chatty staff in stores too.

It’s about relaxing ones mind by not having others going uninvited into your bubble.

We like being left alone from people we don’t know, and in the winter when you can see your breath as a clear cloud it is even more obviously polite not to blow it in someones face.

When you get on the bus you simply take a free window place at a double seat if available, and if not you just take a free seat next to someone. Leave the person alone, they might be thinking about something important.

We are all also just good at respecting social norms such as queues, and it is easier to do so if it is really clear. Some say Brits love queueing and they are welcome to start showing that.

Cultural norms like how to sit on buses, how to queue, etc. make us a little bit extra safe from spreading airborn stuff like rhinovirus (common cold), common flu, and covid-19 to people we really don’t know. We still have work places, homes, and Extreme amounts of sex, so we are of course not completely safe either.

Multicultural melting pots with less cultural enforcement and people closer together, like Oslo, are of course a bit more sensitive to outbreaks. And, with warmer weather everyone in Scandinavia become more social and the distances shrink a bit.

But, you have to admit, it is kinda nice to relax and just have some peace of mind.

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As many seem to miss the bit about what happens when we get ON the bus I’m putting it down here as a final comment too:

In Scandinavia we value our personal space bubble in general. Sitting right next to someone on the bus if there are completely free seats is rude.

Compare it to a stranger walking up to you and touching your face, in most non-Scandinavian countries.

We sit one by one on the double seats if available, and if not where a seat next to someone is free. And make sure not to bother them. Because that’s what we expect from others, and it only works if we ”treat others like you would like them to treat you”.