COVID-19 has been at the center of attention since late 2019. Before anyone could process and truly understand what was happening in the nation regarding the severity and spread of COVID-19, the number of cases in the United States and around the world multiplied rapidly and our nation has closed universities, and locking down state-by-state in order to control the spread of this terrible disease. However, as this disease originated from Wuhan, China, there has been a rise of xenophobia (dislike of or prejudice against certain countries).  

Wherever a pandemic goes, xenophobia is never far behind. Since the outbreak of the coronavirus (and the disease it causes, COVID-19) began, reports of racism toward East Asian communities have grown apace. More recently, this has expanded beyond East Asian populations: Thailand’s public-health minister appeared to lash out at white foreigners who he said were dirty and blamed to spread the virus in the country, adding that people should be more afraid of Westerners than Asians. This fear surrounding COVID-19 is unfortunately creating a divide between countries both figuratively and literally as countries are starting to limit/block international travel and incoming flights from certain countries.  

Associating the virus to an ethnicity has also caused people in the United States of Asian descent to become targets of racism and xenophobia, with Chinese restaurants temporarily closing because of a decrease in patronage, individuals being subject to hostile remarks, and, in some extreme cases, some Asians have even been physically assaulted. It has been seen that it is not just the United States where these such acts are taking place. The image below shows a sign on a Vietnamese store that explicitly states that Chinese individuals are not allowed to enter the store due to fear of COVID-19.  

This negativity has been seen in other areas around the world more recently as well. An Asian man was assaulted in London as his attackers yelled: “I don’t want your coronavirus in my country.” The British Chinese filmmaker Lucy Sheen tweeted in February that she was told to go back to China and to take her “filth” back with her. A Chinese student in Adelaide, Australia, was attacked simply because he was speaking a different language while walking down the street.  

Dark times are becoming darker with this increased fear causing people to not think clearly. It is important for Americans and individuals around the world to step back and realize that in these times, when we are literally being faced with a pandemic, the most important thing is to remember to be kind and help each other in these times of need. Racism and xenophobia have no place in such times, and it is critical that nations’ leaders clearly communicate this to their citizens, individuals realize this, and we all recover from this together.