Coronavirus concerns take hold in US, exposing Asian-Americans to the sting of discrimination
- Bullying and assaults of Asian-Americans are being reported from New York to New Mexico, sparked by unfounded fears that they are somehow linked to the virus
- Face masks commonly worn by Asians to protect against germs or prevent their spread have become a flashpoint, with wearers insulted or attacked
A flier in Los Angeles’ Carson area, with a fake seal of the World Health Organisation, tells residents to avoid Asian-American businesses because of a coronavirus outbreak. A Los Angeles middle schooler is beaten and hospitalised after students say he is as an Asian-American with coronavirus.
And over 14,000 people sign a petition urging schools in the Alhambra area to close over coronavirus risks, even though there is only one case of the virus in Los Angeles County, with its population of 10.1 million.
These are some of the hoaxes, assaults and rumours Los Angeles authorities spoke out against on Thursday to stamp out anti-Asian bigotry bubbling to the surface in California, where over half of the 15 US coronavirus cases are located.
Bullying and assaults of Asian-Americans are being reported from New York to New Mexico, sparked by unfounded fears that they are somehow linked to a virus that originated in China.
With by far the largest Asian-American population of any US state, officials in California are aggressively trying to get ahead of such hate crimes before they spread.