Sen. Dianne Feinstein warned against racist attitudes stemming from the novel coronavirus’s association with China.
The California Democrat urged officials, organizations, and others to focus on stopping the spread of both the virus and misinformation about the virus in a Monday statement. Feinstein said people should only trust information from official sources such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.
“Coronavirus has infected more than 90,000 people worldwide and killed more than 3,000, including six in the United States,” Feinstein said. “Two things are essential: First that we do everything in our power to prevent the spread of this virus and second that we not allow misinformation to make the situation worse.”
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Feinstein said racism against Asian Americans is rising, driven by people associating the coronavirus with China, where the virus originated.
“We’ve also seen a rise in racism toward Asian Americans because the virus is associated with China. This is unconscionable, and it’s not the American way,” Feinstein said. “People of all ages, races, and ethnicities are susceptible to this disease. Bigotry toward any one group for a virus they have nothing to do with makes no sense.”
The virus first appeared in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December and has since spread to over 70 countries, killing about 3,100 and infecting more than 92,000. The U.S. has reported 105 cases of the virus, mostly comprising passengers quarantined on the Diamond Princess cruise ship. The coronavirus has killed six people in the U.S., all in Washington state.
Vice President Mike Pence leads the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus. The vice president may have been exposed to the disease while greeting cadets at the Sarasota Military Academy in Florida on Friday. Several of the cadets may have become infected after one cadet was told after Pence’s visit that he is a potential patient.
