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.

CDC warns against the disease of anti-Asian attacks

I was walking down Broadway on a warm winter day in Oakland. Approaching was a woman and man with those surgical masks on. I thought it was strange that they were wearing ihe masks around the neck instead of covering the nose and mouth.

As we passed each other, they deliberately coughed.

A microagression? or was it a genuine case of itchy throat? I couldn't help but think of the timing -- just as they were passing me. Paranoia is growing because of the coronavirus.

Attacks -- minor, like mine to physical altercations are rising as the coronovirus or COVID-19, becomes more prevalent. Xenophobia against Asians is spreading even faster. It is as if the virus has given people permission to openly display their anti-Asian racism.

Business is drastically down at Chinese restaurants. Tourists are noticeably absent from Chinatown streets. From hard resentful glares from fellow commuters to a resurgence (it never went away) of the "Go-back-to-China," expletives, the fear of the virus and anti-Asian bias is on the rise.

My experience was minor compared to some of the stories around the country. It has gotten so bad that the US Centers for Disease Control, the same federal agency fighting the spread of the virus, felt compelled to issue a notice about anti-Asian acts and statements.

"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 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."

Stigmatized groups may be subjected to:

• Social avoidance or rejection
• Denials of healthcare, education, housing or employment
• Physical violence.

"Stigma affects the emotional or mental health of stigmatized groups and the communities they live in. Stopping stigma is important to making communities and community members resilient," says the CDC.

The Asian American Journalists Association put out guidelines to editors and reporters to refrain from referring to the virus as the Chinese disease, or showing Asian people wearing facemasks.

"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,” said Jeffrey Caballero, executive director of Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO).The CDC has also issued additional guidelines to officials and communicators to:

• Maintain privacy and confidentiality of those seeking healthcare and those who may be part of any contact investigation.
• Quickly communicate the risk or lack of risk from associations with products, people, and places.
• Raise awareness about COVID-19 without increasing fear.
• Share accurate information about how the virus spreads.
• Speak out against negative behaviors, including negative statements on social media about groups of people, or exclusion of people who pose no risk from regular activities.
• Be cautious about the images that are shared. Make sure they do not reinforce stereotypes.
• Engage with stigmatized groups in person and through media channels including news media and social media.
• Thank healthcare workers and responders. People who have traveled to areas where the COVID-19 outbreak is happening to help have performed a valuable service to everyone by helping make sure this disease does not spread further.
• Share the need for social support for people who have returned from China or are worried about friends or relatives in the affected region. 

“Many Asian Americans are just as concerned as everyone else about the coronavirus--even more so considering how in some cases, our extended families could be impacted," said Gregg Orton, National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA). "But to let someone’s health status be a measure of how American they are is absurd. Mass hysteria will not help, and neither will bigotry.”