Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the spread of racism

I recently came across a video on social media where two Asian individuals, a guy and a lady were being harassed and being asked or told they have Coronavirus (COVID-19). I felt awful for them since they were surrounded by a crowd of people, mostly men who harassed them for allegedly having Coronavirus and wanting to spread it. The situation bordered on assault and I was very concerned for them and their safety. However, in a country where the majority of the population is non-Asian, if you are Asian you are bound to stand out. My concern, however, is that the situation is likely to become more and more common and such behavior is being experienced all over the globe. As much as there are fears of being infected, I really question whether the confrontation was necessary. Across various countries, Asian people are being treated differently by people who are afraid of being infected with the virus.

What do I think people should do? Instead of engaging in confrontations where you allegedly accuse people in the Asian community of spreading the virus, I think it is better to just keep your distance. The World Health Organization recommends that people keep a distance of at least one meter from anyone who is coughing. While the individuals who were being confronted for allegedly spreading the Coronavirus were not coughing or sneezing, the people confronting them failed to keep a safe distance. This means that if the two Asians had been suffering from the virus, they would have likely spread it to the people confronting them, who would, in turn, have spread it to several other people resulting in an outbreak. The confrontation should therefore not have taken place at all. Whereas fear is a primal instinct brought about by the need for self-preservation, confronting people out of fear is unwise.

The government also appears not to be doing its part to prevent the spread of the virus in a country that is unprepared to deal with the virus if an outbreak occurs. When information came to that flights from China were landing in the country, there was widespread outrage which resulted in a petition and finally a court order halting flights into the country from China. The government should also do a better job of informing the public and being truthful with the public. There also appears to be mistrust in the government by the public and concerns that the government would hide the truth if a case of the COVID-19 was detected in the country. Whereas little can be done to protect them against harassment from misinformed individuals, I think they should walk away from such confrontations for their own safety, as it is unlikely that the people harassing them will come to their senses.

In conclusion, caution should be exercised and there should be reliance on factual information, as opposed to rumor-mongering and fear-mongering. Discriminating or assaulting Asians due to fears of Coronavirus amounts to racism.