Why is Birmingham Chinatown empty of people?

15th Feb 2020: Saturday lunch time and Ladywell Walk was empty of people. My mother and I sat by ourselves at a very popular restaurant in Birmingham Chinatown and looked out at the deserted street where there were usually a throng of people. I had never seen this restaurant empty during lunchtime but yet there we sat. The Arcadian Car Park opposite was full, to the point that people were parking illegally but there was no sign of these people in the nearby restaurants in the middle of Chinatown. They had all gone shopping in the Bull Ring and to the Hippodrome but they were avoiding eating and shopping in Chinatown.

An Ipsos Mori survey last week stated that 14% of British people were choosing to not come into contact with people of Chinese origin or anyone that looked Chinese for fear of getting infected by Coronavirus. But that still does not account for empty tables at all the restaurants in Chinatown.

James Wong of the Chung Ying Restaurants Group believes it is misinformation and fake news on Chinese social media that are keeping Chinese people away from Birmingham Chinatown. A photo of a young family of 3 being escorted by paramedics had gone viral last Friday on WeChat and people stayed away from Birmingham Chinatown on Saturday. Public Health England stated that test results can be confirmed in just 24 hours so it is very unlikely that the young family on WeChat had Coronavirus.

In my opinion the media has played a large part in whipping up hysteria about Coronavirus. In the UK, with a population of 67 million, plus hundreds of thousands of foreign students, we have 9 confirmed cases of Coronavirus with 8 patients already recovered and discharged from hospital. Birmingham has none – no confirmed cases. Despite an estimated 50,000 Chinese students in Birmingham we have NOT ONE case! The daily coverage of Coronavirus in China sells stories but is unjustifiable.

Furthermore we did not see this type of hysteria with SARS which had a mortality rate of 10% (meaning 10% of infected people died) compared to Coronavirus which has a mortality rate of 2%.

Although there have been a few reports of racism suffered by Chinese people due to coronavirus fears, I personally have not seen any evidence and in fact, it appears that local Chinese people resident in the UK are afraid of catching Coronavirus from mainland Chinese students or visitors.

Business owners in Chinatown are very worried about the huge drop in trade as this is out of their control and spiralling losses cannot be sustained. Businesses may close if this continues.

Therefore everyone should check out the facts on Coronavirus below and come out in support of their favourite Chinese restaurant / eatery / takeaway / supermarket.

The facts on Coronavirus

What is Coronavirus?

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that usually cause respiratory illness. They include viruses that cause the common cold and seasonal flu, as well as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

What are the symptoms?
Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death. 

What can I do to protect myself?
Standard recommendations to prevent infection spread include regular hand washing, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, thoroughly cooking meat and eggs. Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing. These are measures that most people take to prevent catching norovirus, or influenza.

Can I get Coronavirus from eating Chinese food?

No. But make sure all food is cooked fresh and is hot as high temperatures kill viruses.

In conclusion, we Brits are a resilient type. Let’s not allow the media to frighten us into changing our way of life,  what we eat and where we shop.

About the author:

Irene Yoong-Henery is Chinese, born in Malaysia and became an accountant in the UK. She is CEO of Ian Henery Solicitors Ltd, a multi award winning law firm with 4 branches in the West Midlands.