Update 2.8.2020: DOH Issues Memorandum to Help Companies Respond to the Threat of COVID-19
Update 2.1.2020: Employers Responsibility to Prevent 2019-nCov ARD
The worst infection that coronavirus can give is bigotry or Chinese discrimination. Let’s defeat COVID-19 with science and decency, not bigotry
“Ang hirap ma bahing ngayon in public, masama ang tingin sayu, lalo na pag singkit ka” (It’s challenging to sneeze in public nowadays, specially if you have slanted eyes)
At first, I find this post, by an FB friend who is Fil-Chinese, funny. But the behavior towards Chinese in general, because of the coronavirus, is becoming ugly. From simple precaution to travel ban, so long as they are Chinese. The ugly head of racial dicrimination is appearing.
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- We read news reports of tourist with slanted eyes even though non Chinese is shunned.
- In Facebook, I’ve seen hate posts and memes not only from visiting Chinese (tourists and POGO employees), but even against Filipino Chinese.
- There are also news that cruise ships, carrying Chinese are being prevented to dock, even though they are cleared from coronavirus
- There is also clamor in twitter for the total ban on the entry of Chinese from mainland China.
Duterte is trending on Twitter. All of it are ANGRY ? tweets because Duterte “cares more about China” than our beloved…
Posted by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado on Thursday, January 30, 2020
When personal survival is at stake, sometimes, being humane takes the back seat. Contributory to this reaction is the misinformation and fake news about coronavirus, which generates panic and fear. Even though, initial report indicate that this 2019-nCov ARD is milder than SARS.
By all means, we should take precautionary measures to protect ourselves. But we should not let COVID-19 an excuse for Chinese discrimination .
However, just like tango, it takes two to be humane in the midst of medical crisis. At one end, if you suspect that you have been exposed to the virus, be respectful to others by voluntary submitting to self quarantine. China did its part by locking down the ground zero of the virus, and prevented travel to contain the spread of the virus. On the other end, in our desire to protect ourselves, let’s not become racist. If we can, let’s not allow the dispute in West Philippine Sea and the harassment our fishermen are receiving as aggravating factor for Chinese discrimination.
Moving forward, we should not let COVID-19 take the humanity and decency away from us. And let’s have an educated and calibrated response to avert fear and panic, in our fight against the corona virus.
Here are official and trustworthy sources for your reference- World Health Organization Philippines Twitter Account
- Department of Health Wuhan Coronavirus Page
- Center for Disease and Control Prevention
When we receive unverified information via messaging apps, let’s refrain from passing unless it is from trustworthy sites.
In the midst of this medical crisis, let’s uphold human dignity by respecting human rights. The human rights of the Chinese or the infected, and the human rights of other races. Let’s take precaution, but remain humane.
