Avoiding toilets in Covid times

[Havelock 1,391]

I've noticed much more openness to outdoor peeing in Covid times. This is interesting in a US context where people were previously much more reserved and puritan than EU or Asia unless they are partying and drunk. My wife and many of our friends have openly talked about avoiding toilets where the stagnant air could have lingering covid from previous people.

Case in point, last year we were on a group hike with families from my kid's school. Before we started we were having a pick-nick at some tables by the park bathrooms. As we were getting ready to start the hike, one of the moms said "bathroom time, everyone go pee before we hike."  Another mom voiced that the unvaccinated kids should not use the toilets and the group quickly decided everyone would go behind the toilet block. With that they called the kids back behind the building. The boys wet the wall and we helped the girls that needed help. After everyone was buttoned up, my wife said to the husbands "run along and find a bush, its potty time for the girls." We did as instructed but I did glance back to see the moms squatting in a line. I can't imagine this ever happening with this same group of posh moms pre-Covid. 

Another time we were doing a roadtrip with some other families. We stopped at a fast food restaurant and the moms agreed that it was safer to pee in the parking lot than go in the restaurant bathrooms.  I've heard multiple conversations like this over the last couple of years.

Has anyone else witnessed this shift in behavior to public peeing to avoid covid?

[Dr.P 1,458]

Hope these isolated incidents are the beginning of a trend!

[Foobar 693]

Last September I saw a woman urinate in front of her family (they probably didn't know though) instead of using the toilet 100ft away. Of course I don't know if she was just lazy or avoiding bathrooms, but I hope it was the latter because that's a trend I support. Think of all the water saved instead of wasted for flushing yellow water.

[Bacardi 9,220]

I avoided public toilets even before covid hit haha. Have always hated them and avoided them if possible. I literally had a conversation the other day that if I had to choose between peeing in a port a potty or gas station bathroom and peeing in the street where everyone could see me, I would always choose to pee in the open 😬

[steve25805 121,433]

46 minutes ago, Bacardi said:

I avoided public toilets even before covid hit haha. Have always hated them and avoided them if possible. I literally had a conversation the other day that if I had to choose between peeing in a port a potty or gas station bathroom and peeing in the street where everyone could see me, I would always choose to pee in the open 😬

That's the kind of attitude that makes being out for a stroll potentially so much fun. Stumbling across a lady brazenly peeing in full view, lol

Sadly I have only ever witnessed such things a handful of times, my favourite being some lady squatting and pissing in full public view on the pavement/sidewalk.

 

[puddyls 23,524]

idk if i actually witnessed it any more, but it has come up in conversations in my circles. and it definitely was hard to find open public bathrooms here as almost every public loo was closed. heck, even now, with many of our business and stuff opening back up to normal, there are still places where the bathrooms have remained closed. 

Edited March 24, 2022 by puddyls

[gldenwetgoose 20,296]

In my case, living in a fairly rural village close to a small city,  the nearest to public toilets outside the city are those in pubs and cafes.  In the city there are then more restaurants, pubs, shopping centres etc all with toilets.

Of course during lockdown all the retail premises were closed to the public as described.  There was quite a period of time during lockdown where I didn't go into town at all - so no idea if it was a factor leading to increased sightings.

The other factor though is there was a sudden peak in people with time on their hands whilst furlowed or working flexibly from home and able to go out walking, jogging, cycling or whatever without their busy work schedules.  So perhaps more people being out in the great outdoors.   No drunken weekend peeing behind nightclubs, but instead sunny afternoons in the park.

I've written in the past about my two experiences - a lockdown afternoon cycle ride in the middle of nowhere and passing a lady driver of a supermarket delivery van squatting on a grass verge.  Also when back in work with strictly reduced bathroom facilities, catching (I'm near certain) a female colleague using the stall in the gents.

[Peewee123 1,111]

20 hours ago, Bacardi said:

I avoided public toilets even before covid hit haha. Have always hated them and avoided them if possible. I literally had a conversation the other day that if I had to choose between peeing in a port a potty or gas station bathroom and peeing in the street where everyone could see me, I would always choose to pee in the open 😬

This!! I avoid public toilets as much as possible. I’d never use a porta potty, one of those paid toilets on the street, a park toilet, train toilet etc. I will use a shopping centre toilet if I really really have to but I do the hover and squat method so I don’t make any contact! 🤣 but generally I go to the toilet before I leave the house and will go when I get home. I can easily hold it most of the day so it rarely happens anyway. I can’t say over noticed any increased peeing with the toilet being closed, I have seen a post on Facebook about the toilets being closed and people just said it stopped them going out as much. 

[BGSB86 810]

On 3/24/2022 at 6:34 PM, Peewee123 said:

This!! I avoid public toilets as much as possible. I’d never use a porta potty, one of those paid toilets on the street, a park toilet, train toilet etc. I will use a shopping centre toilet if I really really have to but I do the hover and squat method so I don’t make any contact! 🤣 but generally I go to the toilet before I leave the house and will go when I get home. I can easily hold it most of the day so it rarely happens anyway. I can’t say over noticed any increased peeing with the toilet being closed, I have seen a post on Facebook about the toilets being closed and people just said it stopped them going out as much. 

Me too, I hate using public toilets but with my weak bladder I’m forced to use them, especially since I live in NYC and there’s not many places you can pop a squat without being seen. But when Covid hit, I had nowhere to pee so this resulted in a lot more holding and accidents for me. What was once a normal day of running errands became a race to get home on time before my wet spot got bigger and bigger, although I’d be lying if I said this didn’t happen even before Covid, just less often.

[Peewee123 1,111]

@BGSB86 oh dear that’s a tricky mix! I have a bladder of steel I think, I have never leaked or had an accident, even through two pregnancies. I think my bladder would rupture before I wet myself, it can be so full it’s seriously painful and I can’t walk and still not a drip leaks. 😅