COMMENTARY: Coronavirus represents another disease that causes prejudice
The coronavirus is the latest virus that has America on edge. The number of those infected has grown to more than 42,000 people and more than 1,000 people have died from the outbreak. The virus has spread all over China and has shown up in at least 25 other countries.
Since the virus outbreak, China has implemented safety precautions. For example, all public transportation was stopped as of Jan. 23. The entire city of Wuhan, where the virus originated, has been quarantined. Additionally, a number of countries have placed a travel ban on China, including the U.S.
On Feb. 1, the Trump administration issued a travel ban preventing foreign nationals from traveling to China with the exception of immediate family members. Trump’s ban also prevents foreign nationals from entering the U.S. who have been to China. U.S. citizens traveling from China can be quarantined for up to 14 days. As of now, there are 12 cases confirmed in the U.S. with the latest case being confirmed Feb. 6 in Wisconsin.
The coronavirus is being compared, by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, to the 2003 SARS outbreak. Both viruses started out the same way, coming from live animals sold in the Wuhan markets then jumping to people handling them. However, the coronavirus cases already far outnumber the SARS cases 42,000 to 8,096 as of Feb. 10.
Although the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of a public-health emergency Jan. 30, the CDC predicts the risk in the U.S. is low. The CDC advises to prevent the spreading of or catching the virus include frequent handwashing with soap and water throughout the day and avoiding touches to the face with unwashed hands. The CDC states wearing masks are not necessary and have not been proven as a way to protect against infectious diseases.
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, Asians and Asian Americans have found themselves targets of prejudice. Houston’s Chinatown has reported a significant decrease in its sales in the past month after a rumor surfaced that the coronavirus was spreading in that area. The rumor was debunked because at the time there were no cases of the virus in Texas. Texas’ first coronavirus case was confirmed in San Antonio Feb. 12.
The coronavirus is not the first virus to incite the public to target a specific group of people out of fear. In the ‘80s, America was introduced to HIV/AIDS. It was something that began by taking the lives of gay men and drug users who were sharing needles. It was not until blood transfusion patients and people in heterosexual relationships were infected that the virus was considered a public health risk. By then the quarantine was too late. In 1986, the HIV/AIDS virus claimed 12,000 lives and in two years that had increased to 20,000. To date, over 600,000 people in the U.S. have died from HIV/AIDS.
Instead of the government acting right away to try and contain the virus as well as provide resources to help educate the public, it did very little in the beginning. It was up to LGBTQ+ activists and support groups to help raise awareness about having safer sex practices. During that time many Americans referred to the AIDS epidemic as the “gay virus.” Thus, discrimination against gay men grew to prevent people from getting jobs, being accepted into schools, and receiving the respect all human beings deserve.
Had more of the American people supported each other enough to push this issue to the government, then more resources would have been used. The virus could have been contained early on and treated. Instead, prejudice allowed the virus to spread to hundreds of thousands of people.
It is unfortunate that something as uncontrollable as a virus can bring out the worst in humanity. A difficult concept to grasp is thinking about how long we have been around as a human race and how many viruses we have seen, but with every new and recurring virus, we still manage to single it down to classism, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation.
During these times when the world needs to care for one another with support and aid, it tends to divide and seclude, and before you know it people are posting statuses of avoiding an Asian person because they are skeptical about catching the coronavirus.
These viruses come and go, but they are no excuse to discriminate against any group of people. There is nothing wrong with being cautious for the sake of health, but when people get discriminated against for racial or other profiling, that is when hysteria becomes an excuse to justify prejudice. A viral infection is not the only viral disorder to test humanity.
