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Stay away from perorists.

By on February 23, 2020

Coronavirus cases are spreading in Japan yet some infection routes still remain a mystery.

Did you know infectious organisms can find their way to disrupt your healthy existence through virus-containing saliva by quirky perorists?

Perorist is a term coined in Japan to refer to people who, by force of habit, lick their fingertips when leafing through sheets of paper, plastic, etc… It comes from the Japanese onomatopeia “peropero“, the sound produced when licking objects.

photo credit: NHK News Web

THE PERORISTS IN OUR LIVES

  1. Taxi Drivers 

    When you pay for a taxi ride in Japan, “some” drivers, (often the elders) have a habit of licking their fingers before counting out the change in bills they give customers. Last year, Sanwa Kotsu, a Japanese taxi company released a memo prohibiting its drivers from doing so, as a matter of etiquette. This went viral on social media. Japan has 6,300 taxi companies and it is not clear if all of them have a similar policy. Given the latest report of a coronavirus case involving a taxi driver who hasn’t been to China, the exchange of money between a perorist and a taxi driver is likely a disease transmission route.

  2. Clerks at convenience stores, supermarkets, pharmacies, and other stores 

    Some store clerks at busy hours will lick their fingers to make it easier and faster to open a plastic bag before they put in the items you’ve bought.

  3. People distributing documents/flyers at Conferences, PTA meetings, public places

Germs and viruses are lurking in public locations and the chance that you will come into contact with the COV-19 disease is high. Other than the perorists, some of the common ways to pick up and spread the dreadful Coronavirus is by touching contaminated surfaces in public places. Escalator and train handrails, elevator buttons, door knobs, jungle gyms, faucets, toilet flush buttons, magazines and books at book stores or libraries are just a few to be wary of.

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