This morning on the bus to work I sat next to a woman who was coughing without covering her mouth. It sounded more like a cough caused by throat irritation than having stuff in her lungs, but I'm pregnant, paranoid, and really do not want to get sick. I realize I'm being exposed to who knows what by just being on the bus, but i try to limit my exposure to the clearly sick people as much as possible. Would you have asked her to cover her mouth?
I would've just gotten up and moved if possible. IDK what I'd do if there were no other seats available, other than turning away from her and maybe shooting a side-eye.
If she doesn't have the common sense already to cover her mouth, then I really doubt that a stranger saying something to her wouldn't result in, "Oh, honey, you're right! My apologies for being so rude." You'd probably just get a dirty look or comment.
Plus, after all the shit my dad went through, I'd be afraid that I'd scold someone for not covering their mouth and then hear back in return, "It's not the flu, my lungs/throat are just filled with tumors and I can't breathe."