Use of the term “Chinese virus” when referencing COVID-19 “inflames racism,” according to Acting Queens Borough President Sharon Lee.
“’Chinese virus’ is a deeply consequential misnomer. COVID-19 gives no one license to target, harass or assault anyone, but the term ‘Chinese virus’ provokes exactly that. It emboldens the discrimination, harassment and targeting of many Americans. Calling it a ‘Chinese virus’ instead of the accurate term ‘COVID-19’ inflames racism, empowers sinophobia, and resurrects ‘yellow peril’ perceptions that endanger Americans, including American citizens like myself,” said Lee (pictured), the first borough president of Asian descent in NYC history. “This is a shared war against a pandemic, and as we all race together to stem the tide of COVID-19, triggering a war of words is the absolute last thing we need. This virus does not discriminate, and as fellow Americans, neither should we.”
President Donald Trump had been freely employing “Chinese virus” in tweets and during press conferences. However, on Tuesday, he said that he would stop using the term.
“Look, everyone knows [coronavirus] came out of China, but I decided we shouldn’t make any more of a big deal out of it,” Trump told Fox News.
Photo Courtesy of the Office of the Borough President
