Report from the coronavirus frontline: Nurse harassed for being Asian

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Nurse Reizel Quaichon's video account of an attack against her has gone viral.

By definition, the coronavirus pandemic is not limited to the US, therefore, the vital role played by Filipino nurses are not limited to the US where two have died during the last month. Unfortunately, that puts Filipino nurses on the frontline of two viruses: coronavirus and racism.

A Filipino Brit nurse working for the National Health Service was assaulted and racially abused by a couple while she was on her way to an overtime shift to help her colleagues in combating the coronavirus outbreak in London.

Reizel Angel Quaichon was already "mentally shattered" from "risking her life" working long hours during the COVID-19 pandemic when the hate attack happened. She was so upset, the Philippines-born nurse posted a video on her Facebook page recounting the attack:

“So I was coming out of the train station, just minding my own business, trying to get out of the barriers so I can come to work as a nurse.

“And this couple just came and physically and verbally abused me for my race.

“So I appreciate there’s a lot of hate going around at the moment due to coronavirus but virus is not an excuse to be racist or discriminate against anyone.

“It’s not. You know, the coronavirus will go away, it will go away but discrimination will have a permanent impact.

“I mean, look at me, I’m trying to do my job, coming into work, feeling absolutely mentally shattered just because I’ve had that experience.

“It’s absolutely disgusting the way I feel, I can’t even tell you how I feel to be honest with you. “I’m sure a lot of people have gone through it and not said anything or have just brushed it [away]…. because I have been.

“For the previous month or so, I’ve just brushed it...oh you know it’s ignorance.

“I feel like this virus is really testing humanity.

"People need to wake up and realise that this virus is not an excuse to be racist or discriminate against everyone. Period.

“Everyone needs to come together, the NHS is struggling, my goodness we have no staff, no doctors, nothing.

“I am coming into work because I have this duty and now I can’t even go out and mind my own business without being attacked, are you crazy?

“This is not on. I feel really upset and hope people stand up for it if they come across people who are being offensive.

“This is a time when everyone should come together. It shouldn’t be an excuse to create more segregation. I feel like this virus is really testing everyone, we all just need to work together and protect each other.

“Because you know it’s difficult, especially for those who are in the frontline trying to do their best with the limited resources they have.

“So people, can you please just ... this racism, this discrimination needs to go. Work together. Protect each other. Be good. Be kind, that’s all you can do at this time."

Since sharing the incident online, Reizel's video has gone viral worldwide.

“I really just wanted to speak out in behalf of my colleagues too who are experiencing a lot of racial abuse recently,” she told The Philippine Star, a Philippines-based periodical. “I’m just glad the message is resonating to a lot of people and that it is raising awareness.”

There are more than 18,500 staff working for the UK’s National Health Service who “self-report” as Filipino, there are probably more staff with British citizenship who have Filipino heritage, reports PhilStar. Filipinos are the third most common nationality self-reported by NHS staff, according to a recent House of Commons research briefing. The UK’s fight against the coronavirus strongly depends on Filipinos, and yet the Filipinos are confronted with angry racism.

Reizel could have let her video expressing her frustration speak for itself, instead she has turned the racial attack into a lesson in compassion: 

“The coronavirus is not an excuse for ANY form of discrimination. People need to realize that every single person is affected and is going through a VERY difficult and vulnerable time. Doctors, nurses and healthcare workers are literally risking their lives on the frontline with limited resources and yet some people feel the need to impose more hatred and fear. This is the time to LOOK AFTER EACH OTHER AND BE KIND TO ONE ANOTHER, in this time of global crisis; kindness is the best and most effective response.”