Fear and misinformation about the coronavirus has ignited discrimination against Chinese-Americans across the country and here in Northeast Ohio, according to Asian Services in Action (ASIA), a local Asian health and social services organization.
News of the coronavirus is leading to prejudice towards the local Asian-American community, said ASIA CEO Elaine Tso. It鈥檚 due in part to serious misinformation about how the virus is spread, she said.
鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing genetically different about Asians or Chinese-Americans that would make them at a higher risk of transmitting or contracting the virus,鈥 she said.
Many people assume Asian-Americans could have the disease, even if they haven鈥檛 traveled internationally or been in contact with someone with the virus, Tso said.
鈥淏eing Asian-American or Chinese-American is not equivalent to being the coronavirus,鈥 she said.
ASIA has been talking with Cleveland-area Asian-American business owners, who say they鈥檝e seen a decrease in customers after reports about the new strain of coronavirus originating in Wuhan, China.