Coronavirus, health, economy and racism

This 31 January 2020 video from the USA says about itself:

Dr. Seema Yasmin breaks down everything you should know about the growing Coronavirus outbreak. Is it really as bad as it’s depicted in the media? How can you protect yourself? Is it safe to travel to China?

Seema Yasmin is a professor at Stanford School of Medicine, director of the Stanford Center for Health Communication and an Emmy Award-wining journalist. She was a CDC disease detective and a reporter for the Dallas Morning News, where she was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Dr. Yasmin trained in medicine at the University of Cambridge and in journalism at the University of Toronto.

Scientists question White House measures to limit spread of coronavirus. The risk of contracting the virus in the United States is still low: here.

By Benjamin Mateus in the USA, 1 February 2029:

US bans foreign nationals from entry over coronavirus …

The virus is being exploited to stoke anti-Chinese xenophobia in a number of countries. Rather than addressing the dire concerns in Wuhan and the Hubei province through international cooperation, petitions for banning Chinese nationals from entering have been launched in Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea. … In Australia, the Murdoch-owned Herald Sun in Melbourne ran a lurid front-page headline “Chinese Virus Pandamonium”. French newspaper Le Courrier Picard was compelled to apologize after running a racist headline labelling the virus a “Yellow Alert.”

Translated from Dutch NOS TV today:

Abused for coronavirus: “This is no excuse for being racist”

“Coronavirus!” On the open day of a high school, the word was thrown at Iris’ head for no reason. “He just walked by and said that to me. It didn’t feel right.”

It happens to more people with an Asian appearance on the street, at school and online in recent days. They are called out of nowhere or scolded because of the coronavirus.

Racist, discriminatory or anti-Chinese comments also appeared in reactions to NOS Facebook and Instagram posts about the coronavirus. Dutch people with a Chinese background explain what this means for them.

The economic effects of the coronavirus surged through global financial markets this week, producing sharp falls in Asia, Europe and the US. After a 450-point fall in the Dow on Monday, followed by a small upturn the following three days, the index fell by more than 600 points yesterday. It ended in negative territory for the month, the first time this has happened in five months: here.

By Inae Oh in the USA, 30 January 2020:

[United States Trump administration] Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on Thursday said that he believes the coronavirus is likely to “accelerate” the return of jobs to the United States and Mexico, as companies assess what he described as the potential “risk factor” for doing business in China. …

The remarks, which prompted immediate shock and outrage on social media, came as China announced that the death toll from the virus has risen to 170, with the New York Times reporting that every province and region in the country has been affected. The deadly outbreak has sparked a wave of misinformation online, as well as a renewal of racist stereotypes of Chinese people and food.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration appears woefully underprepared to tackle the virus.

Wilbur Ross Roundly Ripped For Predicting Coronavirus Will Be Good For U.S. Jobs. “The diseased mind of Secretary Ross in all of its glory, folks,” one tweeter responded to the commerce secretary’s suggestion on Fox Business: here.