Roommates, as the coronavirus continues to spread and impact various groups of people, one city in China is taking some discriminatory measures to stop the spread. Apparently, people of Guangzhou are convinced that Africans in the city are responsible for the spread, and their racist and xenophobic precautions are leaving many black people without proper living conditions.
According to CNN Africa, many African citizens have been evicted from their homes by landlords and turned away from hotels, despite having to recent travel history or known contact with COVID-19 patients.
CNN says they spoke with more than two dozen African people living in Guangzhou, who are being left without homes, being subject to random coronavirus testing and being quarantined for 14 days in their homes.
The new precautions come on the heels of what China is calling a second wave of coronavirus cases. Chinese President Xi Jinping urged authorities to carefully watch for cases of the virus coming in from other countries.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijan had this to say about the relationship between China and African countries:
“Since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, China and African countries have always supported each other and have always fought against the virus jointly. I would like to emphasize that the Chinese government treats all foreigners in China equally, opposes any differentiated practices targeted at specific groups of people, and has zero tolerance for discriminatory words and actions.”