‘BUSINESS IS BECOMING TOUGH’
Flushing community takes precaution in fear of contracting coronavirus
A Flushing resident on Main Street wears a face mask to protect himself from coronavirus, which has caused panic and fear in the
community. Photo by Dean Moses
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | FEB. 7-FEB. 13, 2020 3
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
As the city reports there are
now three individuals under
investigation for novel coronavirus,
Flushing residents
are taking precaution to protect
themselves from the virus
that has been declared a global
health emergency by the World
Health Organization (WHO).
What was supposed to be a
joyous celebration of the Chinese
Lunar New Year in the
community has instead resulted
in fear, isolation, and a
decline in the business sector
amid growing concerns of the
virus, which was first detected
in the central Chinese city of
Wuhan. There have been over
14,000 confirmed infections so
far, and the virus has claimed
more than 300 lives to date.
“Business after the Lunar
New Year is becoming tough,”
said Peter Tu, executive director
of the Flushing Chinese Business
Association. “I heard that
businessmen are losing more
than 30 percent — that’s the
situation right now and people
are much more worried about
how the coronavirus is going to
be. Before Lunar New Year, it
wasn’t that serious, but now after
hearing a patient is hospitalized
in Flushing, there are some
people that refuse to come out to
downtown Flushing.”
On Sunday, Feb. 3, the city
Health Department said two
individuals, each over 60 years
old who had recently traveled
to mainland China, had reported
symptoms of coronavirus
that includes fever, coughing
and shortness of breath. The
first individual has been hospitalized
at Flushing Hospital
Medical Center. The second is
hospitalized at NewYork-Presbyterian
Queens.
Meanwhile, another patient,
who was first reported with the
symptoms, remains at Bellevue
Hospital. All three individuals
are in stable condition. Testing
to determine whether these
are confirmed cases of the
novel coronavirus will take a
minimum of 36 to 48 hours and
depends on the CDC testing capacity,
according to the city’s
Health Department.
The Health Department has
not received results of the CDC
test, and will share information
about the test as soon as the results
are provided. While some
infections have resulted in severe
illness, and even death,
others have presented with
milder symptoms and been discharged
from care, according
to the city Health Department.
In Flushing, residents walking
along Main Street and taking
public transportation have
been observed wearing face
masks in fear of contracting
the virus, which had not been
previously detected in humans
before this winter.
To educate the community
and dispel rumors of coronavirus,
local elected officials
and community organizations
held a press conference at Glow
Community Center in Flushing
on Jan. 31 reassuring the
public that New York City residents
are at low risk, and are
highly prepared in case of an
outbreak.
“Though no one in the New
York area has tested positive
and hopefully it will stay that
way, we must continue to be
prepared should that change,
and our level of preparedness
must be high,” Congresswoman
Grace Meng said in a statement
to QNS.
“But nobody should be panicking.
People should go about
their daily routine but be vigilant
and prudent. They should
follow, as always, the advice of
our health professionals: avoid
contact with sick people; wash
your hands often with soap
and water,” added Meng, who
has been in constant contact
with the CDC and city and state
health departments to help
monitor developments.
City Councilman Peter Koo
has also attended five press
conferences to educate the community
and is speaking with
the DOH daily to keep apprised
of any new updates, according
to his spokesman, Scott Sieber.
“We are working closely
with DOH and the Mayor’s office
to share resources, community
based organizations
like senior centers and healthcare
provider contacts to make
sure everyone has all the information
they need to serve their
respective constituencies,” Sieber
said.
Across the city, Wellington
Chen, the executive director of
the Chinatown Partnership Local
Development Corporation,
said the spread of coronavirus
is “being blown out of proportion.”
“The normal flu every year
kills a lot more people and when
I was at the CVS pharmacy this
weekend, I didn’t see a long
line of people taking flu shots,”
Chen said. “It’s causing unnecessary
fear and if you compare
the statistics of a normal flu every
year, the degree of comparison
should be based on that …
this coronavirus is not of the
degree and magnitude yet.”
According to Chen, businesses
— restaurants and gift
shops — in Chinatown and
Sunset Park have also seen a
decline in sales and customers.
The timing of the virus
scare is very unfortunate,
Chen said, as the Chinese community
is dealing with the aftermath
of a fire at the Museum
of Chinese in America on Jan.
23, followed by the death of a 90-
year-old man who was struck
by a driver on Jan. 25.
“It has not been a happy moment
for this community for
quite a few days,” Chen said.
“Also, in the past, we got hit by
the 2003 SARS scare and superstorm
Sandy and this has not
been helpful to the recovery of
a fragile community.”
In response to reports of the
Asian community experiencing
racism and fear now spreading
along with coronavirus, Chen
also deemed it as unfortunate.
“If you look at the Ebola outbreak
and health scares before,
it doesn’t require the entire
community to be ostracized,”
Chen said. “We’ve come a long
way and the world now has a
much better understanding
with better health care professionals
and medical facilities.”
Although he doesn’t wear
a face mask, he says everyone
has the right to make their own
personal decision.
Since declaring the coronavirus
a nationwide public
health emergency, the U.S. Department
of Health and Human
Services (HHS) said emergency
physicians are taking the
threat of an outbreak seriously,
but stress that the risk to the
broader public remains low.
“At this time, the risk in the
U.S. of contracting coronavirus
remains low,” said William
Jaquis, MD, FACEP, president
of the American College of
Emergency Physicians (ACEP).
“It is important to understand
your risk factors and practice
good hygiene.”
Health Department officials
are conducting outreach and
are providing guidance to local
community-based organizations
and healthcare providers
serving communities to inform
residents of the necessary precautions
they need to take if
someone with symptoms of
coronavirus visits them.
/QNS.COM
