Do Asians face racism in Germany over coronavirus?
Marco Müller
February 6, 2020
A glance at social media sites suggests the Asian community is facing discrimination. DW's reporters visited Bonn's Asian community for a closer look.
Image: DW/M. Müller
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"I don't have time right now. Look how busy we are. Come back later," says a very stressed-out woman cooking at the takeaway restaurant of an Asian supermarket in Bonn. In a way, she answered the question anyhow: Are people avoiding Asian supermarkets and restaurants due to fears over coronavirus? The answer would seem to be no, at least not here.
The supermarket was the first of many Asian businesses our reporters visited on this day in Bonn, a city of 320,000 residents and located on the Rhine River in western Germany. Bonn is popular among Asian tourists. It is, after all, the hometown of famed German composer Ludwig von Beethoven, and one can visit the house where he was born.
Beethoven is one of the main reasons Asian tourists flock to the small riverside city. That interest is especially keen this year, as Bonn will host a number of special events marking his 250th birthday — a major draw for the tourists visiting.
Beethoven's home draws mass crowds to Bonn, the former capital of West GermanyImage: DW/Marco Müller
'I'm not a virus'
Stories of discrimination against Asians since the coronavirus outbreak began can be seen on any number of social media sites. And hashtag campaigns have popped up in different languages on Twitter under the name #IAmNotAVirus. The stories document instances in which pedestrians have crossed the street to avoid Asians, how Asians are refused service at shops, or are verbally abused as "virus carriers." Another trend documented is the phenomenon of people avoiding Asian restaurants. So are these isolated cases, or is that what everyday life looks like in Germany right now?
Pharmacist Stephanie Maletz in BonnImage: DW/M. Müller
The omnipresence of the coronavirus
One thing is immediately clear: Not only does the virus dominate the headlines, it is also an omnipresent topic in everyday life. When we stopped by a pharmacy in Bonn, one thing immediately caught our eye. It was a sign taped to the shop's cash register, reading: "It is not scientifically proven that wearing a face mask will provide significant protection against coronavirus."
Pharmacist Stephanie Maletz says masks with built-in filters are extremely popular these days — especially among foreign customers: "This morning some Chinese came in and wanted to buy 200 of them. Unfortunately, we only had 50, so they bought them all and left." She says they wanted to send the masks to family members back home. Now, the item, which costs €10 ($8.50), is sold out, though Maletz says she has thin doctors' masks that only cost 20 cents apiece.
Phung Minh Hoang tells DW how coronavirus panic has affected his businessImage: DW/M. Müller
'Fewer customers are coming in'
Phung Minh Hoang, from Vietnam, sits behind the cash register at a small Asian food shop near the central train station as he plays with this smartphone. At the moment, there isn't a customer in sight. Is it because of the coronavirus?
"I'd say the coronavirus has affected business. Fewer customers are coming in. But no one has actually said anything about the virus," he says. He tells us that sales have fallen over the past week — not by much, but still noticeably.
In nail salons, customers and manicurists sit very close to one another. In one such shop in the center of Bonn, a young Asian man is doing a customer's nails. He doesn't want to be recorded, nor does he want to give us his name. Nevertheless, he concedes that normally all of his colleagues would be working right now, but some customers are staying away — and his colleagues are forced to wait around. He says he isn't sure why that is. Asked if it has anything to do with the coronavirus, he says, "It might, but I'm not sure."
The situation was the same at an Asian restaurant we visited. An employee there, who also did not want to give his name, told us that fewer guests are dining at the establishment these days.
Normal, but …
Anyone who has read this far might get the impression that the social media reports of Asians in Germany being avoided are true. But that is only half of the story. At a second nail salon, all three Asian employees are very busy giving manicures. They tell us business is normal. That is something we heard throughout the day at a number of Asian restaurants and shops.
When asked if business has been negatively impacted, Zhang Baoxiang, the owner of an Asian supermarket, says: "No. Everything is normal in Germany — Chinese, Germans — everything's normal. No different than before." Huang Fu Zhang, the owner of Ocean Paradise, a Chinese restaurant on a Chinese-style ship docked on the Rhine, concurs. The Shanghai-born restaurateur says he hasn't lost any business. He says everything is normal — well, almost everything.
He tells us, "Last night someone made a prank call. They said they wanted to come for dinner, but didn't want the virus. That really kind of annoyed me." He says he didn't appreciate the joke.
Georg Türk is a member of the China-Germany Friendship Association and the CEO of DeKang, a company that advises German companies operating in China. He tells us the virus has directly disrupted at least one aspect of his job — he was scheduled to host a group of Chinese visitors at the end of the month, but the group was forced to delay their travel plans.
Türk also mentions a birthday party he attended over the weekend. He says when people found out what he did for a living, they began asking questions about when he had last been to China, and if he was ill. He says the questions were half-joking, half-serious, and he told them, "don't get carried away." He says he has yet to hear about discrimination from any of his Chinese friends.
But not everyone has shared a similar experience. One woman employed at an Asian takeaway restaurant said that when her friends were at the drug store the other day, the cashier immediately reached for the disinfectant spray after they paid.
Coronavirus: Timeline of the global spread of COVID-19
Since the first cases were confirmed in December 2019, the flu-like COVID-19 virus exploded into a global pandemic, killing tens of thousands of people and infecting around 800,000. Scientists scramble for a vaccine.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/SOPA Images/A. Marzo
Pneumonia-like virus hits Wuhan
On December 31, 2019, China notifies the World Health Organization of a string of respiratory infections in the city of Wuhan, home to some 11 million people. The root virus is unknown and disease experts around the world begin working to identify it. The strain is traced to a seafood market in the city, which is quickly shut down. Some 40 people are initially reported to be infected.
Image: Imago Images/UPI Photo/S. Shaver
First death in China
On January 11, China announces the first death from the coronavirus — a 61-year-old man, who had shopped at the Wuhan market, dies from complications with pneumonia. Like SARS and the common cold, scientists identified that the new virus is in the coronavirus family. It is temporarily named 2019-nCoV. Symptoms include fever, coughing, difficulty breathing, and pneumonia.
Image: Reuters/Str
Virus reaches neighboring countries
In the following days, countries such as Thailand and Japan begin to report cases of infections in people who had visited the same Wuhan market. In China, a second fatality is confirmed in the city. By January 20, three people have died in China and more than 200 are infected.
Image: Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon
Millions under lockdown
China places Wuhan on quarantine on January 23 in an attempt to limit the spread of the virus. Transportation is suspended and workers attempt to quickly build a new hospital to treat infected patients, which total over 830 by January 24, as the death toll climbs to 26. Officials eventually extend the lockdown to 13 other cities, affecting at least 36 million people.
Image: AFP/STR
A global health emergency?
More and more cases are confirmed outside of China, including in South Korea, the US, Nepal, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan. As the number of infections rises, the World Health Organization on January 23 determines that it's "too early" to declare a global public health emergency.
Image: Getty Images/X. Chu
Coronavirus reaches Europe
On January 24, French authorities confirm three cases of the new coronavirus within its borders, marking the disease's first appearance in Europe. Hours later, Australia confirms four people have been infected with the respiratory virus.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Mortagne
First cases confirmed in Germany
On January 27, Germany announces its first known case of the virus — a 33-year-old in Bavaria who contracted it during a workplace training with a visiting Chinese colleague. He is put under quarantine and observation at a Munich hospital. The following day, three of his colleagues are confirmed infected. The death toll in China reaches 132, with around 6,000 infected worldwide.
Image: Reuters/A. Uyanik
WHO declares global health emergency
On January 30, the UN's World Health Organization (WHO) declares coronavirus a public health emergency of international concern in a bid to protect countries with "weaker health systems." However, WHO Secretary-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus does not recommend trade and travel restrictions, saying these would be "an unnecessary disruption."
Image: picture-alliance/KEYSTONE/J.-C. Bott
First death outside China
The first death linked to the novel coronavirus outside of China is reported in the Philippines on February 2. A 44-year-old Chinese man had traveled from Wuhan to Manila before falling ill and being taken to hospital, where he later died of pneumonia.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/T. Aljibe
Bad ending to a cruise
Also on February 3, the cruise ship Diamond Princess is quarantined off Yokohama in Japan after cases of the new coronavirus were found on board. As of February 17, the number of people infected has grown to more than 450, the largest cluster of cases outside of China. Several of the 3,700 passengers and crew onboard the ship are being or have been flown back to their home countries.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/kyodo
Italy under quarantine
Cases in Italy rise dramatically, with 77 deaths and thousands of confirmed cases by March 3. Many countries instigate travel restrictions to northern Italy and tourist numbers plummet. On March 8, the Italian government put the entire Lombardy region into quarantine, affecting 16 million people. March 10 sees 168 fatalities in Italy, the highest in a single day.
Image: Reuters/R. Casilli
Economic woes
European and US stock markets slump on March 6, leading to the worst week since the 2008 financial crisis. The effect on global business has been significant, with many companies reporting losses and the tourism industry and airlines badly hit. The EU pledge €7.5 billion ($8.4 billion) on March 10 in an investment fund to try to stop the Eurozone falling into a recession.
Image: picture-alliance/Jiji Press/M. Taguchi
WHO declares outbreak as pandemic
As worldwide cases top 127,000 and deaths pass 4,700, the World Health Organization designates the global outbreak as a "pandemic" on March 11. US President Donald Trump announces a travel restriction on people coming from the Schengen Zone in Europe, annoying the EU. German Chancellor Angela Merkel announces that in Germany, 70% of the population could get the virus.
Image: picture-alliance/Photoshot
Public life on hold in Europe
On March 14, Spain joins Italy in imposing a near-total nationwide lockdown to prevent the virus spreading. The population of 46 million is told not to leave their homes unless for essential tasks. In France, cafés, restaurants and non-essential shops are closed as of March 15. Many public events in Germany are cancelled and schools close.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/AAB. Akbulut
International travel severely restricted
As of March 15, many countries impose strict travel bans or restrictions in an attempt to stop the spread of Covid-19. For example, New Zealand and Australia require all international passengers to self-isolate for 14 days after arrival in the country. The US extends a European travel ban to include the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Image: picture-alliance/Photoshot
Germany imposes partial lockdown
In a landmark televised address German Chancellor Angela Merkel announces far-reaching restrictions on everyday life on March 22, banning meetings between more than two people not from the same household outside of the workplace. The country has a surprisingly low death rate, a phenomenon attributed to a high level of testing, and a high number of intensive care beds.
Image: picture-alliance/EibnerT. Hahn
Virus strikes at top as UK locks down
On March 23rd Britain becomes the latest country to impose restrictions on personal freedoms, with people only allowed to leave their homes in a limited number of circumstances. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is diagnosed with the viruson March 27, as well as heir to the throne Prince Charles on March 25. Meanwhile, there are complaints that not everyone is taking social distancing seriously.
Image: picture-alliance/R. Pinney
Grim milestone for the US
On March 27 the US overtakes China in terms of the number of people infected, making it the country with the most cases of COVID-19. This came as President Donald Trump claimed that the nation would get back to work "pretty quickly." At the same time, it emerged that more than 3 million Americans had lost their jobs due to the pandemic. New York is worst-hit, with a hospital ship sent to help out.
Image: picture-alliance/Photoshot/J. Fischer
Spain's surging death toll
Spain also overtakes China in the number of COVID-19 cases on March 30, as the government toughens the severity of its lockdown. All non-essential activities are halted. Only Italy has a higher death toll than Spain. Most affected is the capital, Madrid. With funeral services overwhelmed, officials turn the Palacio de Hielo ice skating rink into a temporary morgue.
Image: picture-alliance/Geisler-Fotopress
More than a million
On April 2nd the Johns Hopkins University announced on Thursday that there were more than a million confirmed coronavirus cases around the world. The US is the most affected with three times the number than China, where the virus emerged in December. Over 50.000 people have died — and the outlook remains grim.
Image: Reuters/J. Redmond
UK PM Boris Johnson hospitalized
The 55-year-old was admitted to the intensive care unit at London's St Thomas hospital on Monday evening (6.4.) and was given oxygen treatment after his condition worsened. He had been diagnosed with COVID-19 on March 27.
