There are currently 73,335 cases of this deathly virus around the world: 1,873 of those cases have resulted in deaths. 72,438 cases in China alone and even 15 cases in US. This deathly disease known as the coronavirus is spreading like wildfire and been considered and named as a global health emergency. Research has been shown that this virus originates from bats but the new coronavirus is tied to a seafood market in Wuhan, China. However, the true source of coronavirus has not been determined.
The new coronavirus is extremely dangerous because it is transmitted through face to face interactions. It even takes 14 days for people to recognize symptoms and diagnose, but within those 14 days, it could easily spread to everyone you speak to. This international crisis has yet be solved but has caused many dilemmas.
Access to Mainland China Suspended
Delta, American, and United have announced that they will be temporarily cancelling all flights to mainland China due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. These airlines were faced with pressure from unions of airplane employees and warnings from public health officials.
The US State Department has elevated its China travel advisory to a level 4, advising that all Americans should not travel there. This change occured after the declaration of a global health emergency by the coronavirus that was declared by the World Health Organization.
White House officials had considered a ban on all travel to China but they had yet to contact the airlines. However, the decision of all airlines to suspend travels to China had rendered the White House action debate.
“The risk of infection for Americans remains low,” said Alex Azar, secretary of Health and Human Services and chairman of the coronavirus task force set up by President Donald Trump. “We are working to keep the risk low.”
Airlines are now working with all customers that are directly affected by this decision to help them make alternate travel arrangements.
Discrimination Against Asian-Americans
This new outbreak of coronavirus has not only caused medical problems, but also social problems. Once people heard that this deathly virus started in China, Asian-Americans became exposed to the harshness of discrimination.
A flier in Los Angeles’ Carson area, with a fake seal of the World Health Organisation, tells residents to avoid Asian-American businesses because of a coronavirus outbreak. A Los Angeles middle schooler is beaten and hospitalised after students say he is as an Asian-American with coronavirus.
Bullying and assault of Asian-Americans are being reported nationwide, kindled by the fear that they are related to the virus that originated in China.
With one of the largest population of Asian-Americans in the nation, California officials are doing the best they can to try to get ahead of hate crimes before they spread even further.
However, the existing prejudice of Asian-Americans combined with media images from China have furthered the fear that Asians are more likely to be virus carriers. The discrimination could get worse given chances the virus may spread in US communities in the weeks and months ahead, said Robin Toma, head of the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission.
This issue is not unique to just the California area.
New York City designer Yiheng Yu works in an office where many colleagues have recently returned from China and where she and others wear face masks as a precaution.
On one occasion when she wore a mask outside her office she was accosted by a woman.
“She started yelling, ‘Are you Crazy? Get the heck out of here,” said Yu, 34. “I realised it was because I was wearing a mask.”
These situations only get worse and worse with the increasing amount of new coronavirus cases in the United States and China. Coronavirus has become the smallpox of the 21st century.
A Better Future 