Trump, GOP leaders condemned for use of "China virus" for the pandemic

SCREEN CAPTURE / CBS

Donald Trump continues to link COVID-19 to China and Chinese people.

Several Republicans, including Donald Trump, are being criticized for labeling the coronavirus the “China virus” raising the level of anti-Asian fears.

Trump reiterated the need to build a US-Mexico border wall to protect Americans from the “China virus” in a tweet: “Going up fast. We need the Wall more than ever!”

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and several Republican congress members have also referred to the virus in ethnic terms.

Democratic politicians, including Rep. Judy Chu, Rep. Ted Lieu, and presidential candidate Joe Biden, were quick to denounce the xenophobic names.

“A wall won’t stop a virus. Racism won’t stop a virus. Do your job,” Biden tweeted in response.

The World Health Organization this morning (March 11) has officially the spread of COVID-19 a "pandemic." A pandemic is a disease that is spreading in multiple countries around the world at the same time.

Despite a letter from the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, made up of AAPI members of Congress, some GOP lawmakers continue to link the virus to China where it originated. But rather than deter, it seems to have emboldened some Republicans to attach ethnicity to the virus. 

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., for one, sent a news release Sunday that he was requesting information about “Chinese Coronavirus Deaths in Florida.”

Linking the virus appears to have escalated in the last few days with the leader of the House GOP and Trump using or endorsing similar language.

“Since the outbreak of COVID-19, we have seen a surge of discriminatory rhetoric and violent attacks against Asian Americans across the country,” iterated Chu in a letter from the Asian Pacific American Caucus. “Even just looking Asian has been enough to incite attackers to hurl insults and accuse individuals of being disease carriers.” 

The Centers for Disease Control has issued a notice that cautions against linking the pathogen to a specific group of people.

"At this time most people in the United States have little immediate risk of exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19. However, some people are worried about the disease," reads the CDC notice. "Fear and anxiety can lead to social stigma towards Chinese or other Asian Americans. Stigma and discrimination can occur when people associate an infectious disease, such as COVID-19, with a population or nationality, even though not everyone in that population or from that region is specifically at risk for the disease (for example, Chinese Americans and other Asian Americans living in the United States).

"Stigma hurts everyone by creating more fear or anger towards ordinary people instead of the disease that is causing the problem. We can fight stigma and help not hurt others by providing social support. We can communicate the facts that being Chinese or Asian American does not increase the chance of getting or spreading COVID-19."

The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), sent a letter to House and Senate leadership to call for unity and publicly denounce the racist and xenophobic attacks on Asian Americans. A link to the letter can be found here:

The NCAPA issued the following statement:

“While we recognize and are grateful for the leadership of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, and others in Congress to relieve the fear and anxiety the coronavirus has created for all Americans, it has become clear that Congressional leadership should follow their example and do more. Our country needs unified, visible and strong leadership to address the growing hostile rhetoric against the Asian American community.

"This letter is a call to action from the civil rights community to hold Congress accountable and help bring our country together, while not letting fear and misinformation divide us. We urge House and Senate leadership to lead by example, and resist stoking fear and xenophobia, while taking tangible steps to demonstrate that our country’s leaders are committed to standing against racism.”

“While the rise of COVID-19 confirmed cases in the United States is a legitimate and pressing public health concern, we urge health care providers and all individuals sharing information about the disease to combat misinformation and discrimination that put patients and broader communities at risk," said Jeffrey Caballero, executive director of the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations.

"We urge common sense, such as following practical safeguards as recommended by the CDC and your local and state public health departments," continued Caballero. "This is a global emergency that should be met with both urgency and also cultural awareness that COVID-19 is not isolated to a single ethnic population. Xenophobic attacks and discrimination towards Asian American communities are unacceptable and will not make our families safer or healthier.”

The Chinese government has also condemned U.S. politicians for using unscientific terms to “stigmatize” the country, reports The Guardian.

“Despite the fact that the WHO [World Health Organization] has officially named this novel type of coronavirus, certain American politician[s], disrespecting science and the WHO decision, jumped at the first chance to stigmatize China and Wuhan with it. We condemn this despicable practice,” said Chinese spokesman Geng Shuang.

AsAm News contributed to this report.