Coronavirus pandemic is beginning to fuel racism and discrimination according to journal Nature.
Nature is a reputable international science journal, where most researchers surge to publish papers that are peer-reviewed.
In a recent update, Nature stated that the coronavirus pandemic is “fuelling deplorable racism and discrimination”
The April issue of Nature Reviews Physics has it that researchers and science communicators from China, India, Japan and South Korea have reported examples of discrimination and other factors which hinder them from being heard in international journals.
“For years, it was common for viral diseases to be associated with the landscapes, places or regions where the first outbreaks occurred — as in Middle East respiratory syndrome, or Zika virus, named after a forest in Uganda.
“But in 2015, the WHO introduced guidelines to stop this practice and thereby reduce stigma and negative impacts such as fear or anger directed towards those regions or their people.
“The guidelines underlined the point that viruses infect all humans: when an outbreak happens, everyone is at risk, regardless of who they are or where they are from”, Nature revealed in an article.
In Nigeria, coronavirus discrimination is already evident, going by how china is being despised in both authentic and fake news. For instance, Vanguard reported that the federal government was against the stakeholders that were dispelling the notion of inviting Chinese doctors.
On social media, several messages have been in circulation that Nigerians should avoid face masks and hand sanitisers from China.
Although, it would be more favourable for local production, the coronavirus discrimination is likely to complicate relationships with China.
Racism can cause education, business, and lifestyle associated with china to come to a decline.
However, it should be brought to mind that china has a population of 1.4 Billion people, representing 20% of the world population. Based on this fact, it wouldn’t be as easy as it seems to keep china away.
Read also: Coronavirus & 5G: The Untold Story
