Ever since the Wuhan coronavirus, now known as COVID-19, began spreading in China and other parts of the world in early January, the public has become fearful of the virus and its impacts. Much about the virus is still unknown: what animal it originated from, how it is transmitted and who is most at risk to die from it. This fear of the unknown has led many to try and search for a tangible source to blame—and Asians are becoming victim to xenophobia—that is, prejudice against those from different countries—and racist behavior.

COVID-19 is a coronavirus, which is a term for a set of viruses ranging from the common cold to more serious ones like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). Coronaviruses are zoonotic, which means they are passed from animals to humans. Respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties are the most common symptoms of the illness, and in more severe cases, can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome and death. 

There have been tens of thousands of cases reported in China, with fewer reported in countries all over the world—save for 400 confirmed cases on a cruise ship docked off the coast of Japan. 1,774 people have died as of writing this article. The numbers change every day, so it is difficult to pin down a confirmed mortality rate. But at this point, it is estimated to be slightly more than 2 percent. 

Because the virus originated in China, many associate the disease with China itself and see it as an illness Asian people are most likely to have, even though anyone can catch it regardless of race. To make matters worse, they do not know the difference between different Asian ethnicities, so they will act like any and all Asian people are carriers of the virus.

There have been countless incidents reported of racism and xenophobia towards Asian people since the virus began spreading. University of California Berkeley Health Services tried to allay fears of the virus in a now-deleted Instagram post by listing common reactions, one of which was xenophobia and fear of interacting with Asian people. John Pomfret, a writer for the Washington Post, stated that a rumor had broken out at a middle school close to his house that “all Asian kids have the coronavirus and should be quarantined.” 

In Los Angeles and Toronto, people have reported experiencing xenophobic harassment on the street and from TSA agents. Chinese restaurants in the UK report that they are having trouble attracting customers because of widespread rumors about the “cleanliness” of their food. In Asian countries, it is common practice to wear face masks to try and prevent illness, even if you are not ill yourself. But, throughout the media, it has become the visual that many associate with the virus.

This type of harassment and racist behavior is unacceptable, but it unfortunately follows a common trend. When the Ebola outbreak occurred in 2014, black and African people were stereotyped as all having the disease. The public was warned against traveling anywhere in Africa for fear of catching it, even though the outbreak was mostly in West African countries. Earlier than that, in the 1980s, it was incorrectly thought that HIV and AIDS could only be transmitted among gay men.

But these types of irrational racist and xenophobic fears should not be normalized. It is not okay to treat a specific group of people as if they are ‘contaminated’ and should be isolated from others. This type of stereotyping is reminiscent of age-old stereotypes about “cleanliness,” which have been used in the past to demonize immigrants and anyone who is an ethnic minority.

COVID-19 does not care what race you are. Its origin in China does not mean that all Chinese people have it nor that all Asian people have it. The only reason a person should be cautious is if they have traveled to China recently, as that is where the largest number of people who have contracted the virus are located. But targeting an Asian person from any country as a carrier of the disease is ridiculous, xenophobic and racist, and only does more to divide people. The real concern should be about curbing the spread of the virus until a vaccine is developed.