海角大神

It鈥檚 lunchtime at New Golden Gate seafood restaurant in Boston鈥檚 Chinatown. Amid fears of the new coronavirus, just two of its tables are occupied. In a back corner, two waiters sit as listless as the lobsters inside a nearby tank.

Today they鈥檝e had fewer than 20 customers over three hours, says manager May Deng. 鈥淎t least a 90% drop. That鈥檚 huge.鈥�

If business doesn鈥檛 pick up in the next two to three months, she鈥檒l have to close. 鈥淗ow can you survive?鈥� says Ms. May, tears rimming her eyes.

From Boston to San Francisco, London to Johannesburg, customers have been avoiding Chinatowns amid unsubstantiated fears that the virus jumped from China via these neighborhoods. There have been news reports, too, of bullying, discrimination, and xenophobia against Asians. But others warn that such isolationist impulses create a sense of alienation in those communities. And some individuals, public officials, and organizations are stepping forward to practice acts of kindness and model support for Chinese businesses.

鈥淭he virus has no nationality. The virus does not practice discrimination. Why should we, being a human being, discriminate against any ethnic group?鈥� says Justin Yu, president of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, a business and community organization in New York City. 鈥淭his is a time for everybody to learn we should have sympathy.鈥�

Deeply ingrained cultural prejudices about Chinese people as supposed carriers of disease date back further than the outbreak of SARS, says Winston Tseng, a research sociologist and lecturer of community health and human development at UC Berkeley鈥檚 School of Public Health in California. In 1899, Honolulu forcibly quarantined its Chinatown due to fears of the bubonic plague; the following year, San Francisco circled its Chinatown with rope for two days.

鈥淭here was an assumption ... of 鈥榯he yellow peril,鈥欌�� says Mr. Tseng. 鈥淪o Chinese or Japanese back then were [viewed as] dirty and carrying a lot of diseases.鈥�

Today, individuals across the world are reaching out to help Chinese and Asian businesses. In Australia, the progressive activist group GetUp! encouraged its members to dine in Chinese restaurants and also post pictures of meals on social media with the hashtag #IWillEatWithYou. It was a response to news reports such as the closure of Shark Fin House, a three-decades-old restaurant in Melbourne鈥檚 Chinatown, says the group鈥檚 media adviser Chandi Bates. The hashtag is now popping up on Twitter and Instagram accounts in other parts of the world.

鈥淚 Will Eat With You is giving people a practical way to take a positive step, show support and solidarity to businesses that need it, all at the same time as eating a delicious meal,鈥� says Renaire Druery, campaign director for the聽GetUp! Human Rights Campaign,聽via email.

In mid-February, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh started a social media campaign with the hashtag #LoveBostonChinatown. He and other city councilors organized a photo-op dim sum lunch at once-popular eatery China Pearl. In early March, there鈥檚 not a lot of foot traffic beneath the pagoda-style arch entryway into Chinatown. A nearby outdoor table of tourist trinkets remains untroubled. Atop the lamp posts along Beach Street, American flags flutter in tandem with Chinese flags in the wind.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important to continue supporting the people that would be perhaps impacted the most right now because they have bills to pay,鈥� says Andrew, a Massachusetts technology professional who asked that his last name not be used, after coming to Chinatown specifically to support the restaurants.

Another tourist, Fred Brown from Atlanta, was surprised how much busier Boston鈥檚 Italian North End neighborhood was by comparison, given the news of the outbreak in northern Italy.

鈥淚 would take precautions, but I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 necessarily here in Chinatown in Boston,鈥� says his daughter, Emily Brown, just prior to entering a restaurant. The Boston resident says she鈥檚 not fearful about contagion. 鈥淓specially when this place has an acceptable health code.鈥澛�

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, there have also been multiple reports of racist online comments and also some troubling incidents offline.聽

Dr. Barbara Ferrer, director of public health for Los Angeles County, says the county has dealt with hoaxes related to the virus, including a bogus press release on a fake official letterhead that attempted to target an Asian community.

The letter stated erroneously that five infected patients had supposedly visited five businesses in Asian areas of Carson, including a Chinese restaurant.

鈥淣one of that was true,鈥� says Dr. Ferrer. The department responded quickly to stamp out the misinformation, and the case is being investigated by the county sheriff鈥檚 department and the FBI.

A lot of Asians and Asian Americans live in the county 鈥� more than anywhere else in the country 鈥� and 鈥渦nfortunately and inappropriately鈥� a 鈥渟tigma鈥� is attaching itself to that community, she says. 鈥淐hinese restaurants are safe,鈥� she emphasized.

At least two U.S. officials, Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo 鈥� have begun labeling COVID-19 as the 鈥淲uhan virus.鈥� This month, the World Health Organization implored people not to attach locations or ethnicity to the disease, including 鈥淲uhan Virus,鈥� 鈥淐hinese Virus,鈥� or 鈥淎sian Virus.鈥� 鈥淭he official name for the disease was deliberately chosen to avoid stigmatization,鈥� said WHO.

In Canada, the Toronto suburb of Markham 鈥� sister city to Wuhan, China 鈥� is striving to counter negative associations. When Wuhan Noodle 1950, a Chinese restaurant across the street from city hall, started losing business due to fears of the virus, officials knew exactly what to do. During the height of the SARS crisis in 2003, the neighborhood successfully persuaded many people in Toronto to overcome their fear by inaugurating a Taste of Asia festival. In February, Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti launched an Asialicious festival in which more than 100 Asian restaurants in the Toronto area invited customers to tasting events that included special offers.

When the mayor attended a recent Chinese New Year event, he shared a social media video with guests. In it, dozens of people in the quarantined city lean out of their balconies and, in unison, shout, 鈥�Wuhan jiayou,鈥� which is roughly translated, 鈥淲uhan keep up the fight.鈥� In turn, Markham鈥檚 mayor recorded a video in which the thousand attendees at the banquet shouted, 鈥�Wuhan jiayou!鈥�

鈥淭he mayor of Wuhan sent us a letter expressing their gratitude for the video and for the fundraising and just generally the support that has been shown to Wuhan,鈥� says Mayor Scarpitti. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a reminder that we live in a pretty big world, but it can get pretty small at times and we can be connected in some pretty powerful ways.鈥�

Staff writer Francine Kiefer contributed to this report from Los Angeles.