Till now, more than 360 people have died because of Coronavirus in China. If compared to the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic in China, Norvegrence LLC has found that this number has already overtaken the number of people who died because of that syndrome.
As new cases of coronavirus continue to emerge not only in China but also in other parts of the world, the shocking racist and vile statements targeting Chinese and Asian people is on the rise.
On Thursday, a Chinese man collapsed and died from a heart attack in Chinatown in Sydney, Australia. According to the reports, people present there refused to give him CPR and left him to die, out of fear that they would catch the coronavirus.
A Korean woman complained that she faced harassment multiple times in France thanks to the rise of xenophobia because of coronavirus. In an interview with HankYoReh, she said:
“An older man called me a ‘dirty Chinese [expletive].’ A guy who looked like a high schooler got in my face and told me to ‘get lost.’ I lost it for a moment when a homeless person walking down the street even called me a [derogatory word for a woman].
Even when I explain I’m Korean, people tell me that all Asians should leave. I’d been afraid this might happen, but experiencing it personally has shown me how hard it is to bear such hatred. It makes me afraid to go to crowded places.”
Another Asian-descended French person complained: “When I was coming out of a sports stadium in downtown Paris, a boy made fun of me by shouting, ‘Here comes the coronavirus.”
Apart from the above two, many other people have faced harassment. Many Asians using the hashtag #JeNeSuisPasUnVirus—or “I’m not a virus”, in an order to aware people regarding this and to generate a kind of sympathy and respect in people hearts.
Coronavirus outside China
According to the World Health Organization, there were at least 17,205 confirmed cases of Coronavirus in more than two dozen countries. Here is what happens in the world w.r.t Coronavirus.
- Cruise lines worldwide ban anyone who has recently traveled to China. The company said in a statement: “CLIA Members have suspended crew movements from mainland China and will deny boarding to any individual, whether guest or crew, who has traveled from or through mainland China within the previous 14 days.”
- U.S. ban on non-citizens who recently traveled to China. The administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said in an official letter and Norvergence quotes: “Under these directives, non-U.S. citizens who have been in China within 14 days of their planned travel will not be permitted to fly to the United States.”
- Philippines Authority reports first death due to Coronavirus outside China.
- Hong Kong is all set to close most border crossings with China. Apart from Shenzhen Bay and the bridge to Macau and Zhuhai, all other border crossings with China will remain closed.
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