This is how long coronavirus survives on cardboard, plastic and steel — and airborne, says CDC, UCLA and Princeton joint study
Published: March 23, 2020 By Quentin Fottrell

COVID-19 is most similar to the SARS virus, but that doesn’t explain why it has become a much larger outbreak, the New England Journal of Medicine study concluded


The New England Journal of Medicine study suggests that people may acquire the virus through the air and after touching contaminated objects, MarketWatch photo illustration/iStockphoto

COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, is “stable for several hours to days” in aerosols and on surfaces, including plastic and stainless steel, according to a study published this week in the peer-reviewed New England Journal of Medicine.

The study was coauthored by scientists at the National Institutes of Health, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, UCLA and Princeton University. It was made available in print form on Monday, and aims to provide more clarity on the virus’s contagiousness.


In contrast to SARS-CoV-1, most secondary cases of the new SARS-CoV-2 transmission appear to be occurring in community settings rather than health-care settings.— A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine

The scientists found that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, was detectable in the air for up to three hours, up to four hours on copper, up to 24 hours on cardboard, and up to 2 to 3 days on plastic and stainless steel.

The results of the study provide additional insight into the stability of the new SARS-CoV-2, or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, and suggest that people may acquire the virus through the air and after touching contaminated objects, according to the authors.


How long the virus remains “stable” — the term used by the researchers — would likely depend on the humidity and temperature of the room, and other variables including air-conditioning, open windows and the general air quality, experts say, and advise using such results as a guide.

Dispatches from the front lines of a pandemic: 

‘They’ve likened it to a war where the number of casualties just keep on coming’

Italians find solidarity, resilience and music during the coronavirus lockdown


SARS-CoV-1, the disease that infected more than 8,000 people in China in 2002 to 2003, is the human coronavirus most closely related to the latest outbreak. They behaved most similarly, which unfortunately fails to explain why COVID-19 has become a much larger outbreak, the authors said.

One theory: Emerging evidence suggests that people infected with COVID-19 might be spreading the virus without recognizing, or prior to recognizing, the symptoms. This would make disease-control measures that were effective against SARS-CoV-1 “less effective against its successor.”

Dispatches from the front lines of a pandemic: ‘The lack of an all-island response has also rattled communities on both sides of the Irish border.’ Pubs close due to coronavirus, government issues new strict rules for funerals

MarketWatch photo illustration/iStockphoto

Dispatches from the front lines of a pandemic:

‘There is barely time to absorb the implications of each new development.’ 

Coronavirus cases rise in Switzerland, residents keep wary eye on Italy’s worsening situation next door

In contrast to SARS-CoV-1, most secondary cases of the latest coronavirus transmission appear to be occurring in community settings rather than in health-care settings, the authors wrote. However, the latter are also vulnerable to the introduction and spread of COVID-19. They recommend:

• Avoiding close contact with people who are sick.

• Avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.

• Staying home when you are sick.

• Covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throwing the tissue in the trash.

• Cleaning and disinfecting frequently-touched objects and surfaces with a cleaning spray or wipe.

As of Monday morning, there were 349,211 confirmed cases and 15,308 deaths worldwide, according to data from the database of Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering; the database also reported 100,165 recoveries. The U.S. has had at least 35,224 confirmed coronavirus cases and 471 deaths, John Hopkins added.

Access and availability of testing in the U.S. is one of the most pressing concerns for Americans. Some hospitals have implemented drive-through testing sites, while the Trump administration has promoted a site built by Verily, Alphabet Inc.’s GOOGL, -3.90% life-sciences arm.

How COVID-19 is transmitted

‘This is such a blatant disregard for the coronavirus advice from the CDC.’ Can my employer force me to go to work

Published: March 23, 2020 

By 

Quentin Fottrell

‘We still have quite a bit of foot traffic throughout the building’

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Dear Moneyist,

I work in human resources for a municipality. The city’s population is an estimated 18,000 citizens. Our mayor has instructed us to still function as normal, with little precautions apart from increased cleaning. We still have quite a bit of foot traffic throughout the building. We had two employees return from out-of-state travel and a cruise to Cozumel. They were instructed to return to work, but wear masks and check their temperature every two hours. 

This is such a blatant disregard for the coronavirus advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other state and federal entities. I’m concerned that someone may come through my office that shows no symptoms of the disease, but may be a carrier of the coronavirus. All other county offices have closed or moved to “essential personnel only,” while we’re still at our desks like there’s nothing to be concerned about. 

Dispatches from the front lines of a pandemic: ‘They’ve likened it to a war where the number of casualties just keep on coming’: Italians find solidarity, resilience and music during the coronavirus lockdown

Our state government even passed HB1647 to authorize administrative leave with pay so that we could reduce staff as necessary. Yet, we’re still all here. I’m grateful that the front-end of our department is closed to the public so our applicants can’t get a referral to come see me. That has slowed visitors. I guess I just needed to vent. Administration isn’t listening to our concerns. We’re not doing enough in Southeast Mississippi to prevent the spread of COVID-19. 

Concerned in the South

Dear Concerned,

I want to start by telling you what I tell anyone who I meet who is working at the moment. Thank you. I am writing this from home, but I am painfully aware that there are people who are going to work, and many may not be happy about it. They are both seen and unseen: people working in supermarkets, bodegas, dry cleaners, cafes, restaurant kitchens, food delivery and, yes, taxi, bus, UBER, +4.10% and Lyft LYFT, +2.75% drivers. 

The upside: You are not currently in the position of dealing with members of the public. That, would put you at a higher risk. The downside is that you are rightly worried that you could become infected with COVID-19 from a co-worker and pass it on to a loved one in a high-risk group. That is something that should concern everyone, especially those working. There have been 50 confirmed cases in Mississippi and one death. The number of actual cases, of course, is likely higher.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention merely advises employers to “emphasize staying home when sick, respiratory etiquette and hand hygiene by all employees.” Employees are protected from retaliation if they refuse to take on an assignment or do anything that they consider to be unsafe, but there is no hard-and-fast definition of what is deemed unsafe. It’s judged on whether a “reasonable” employee would also consider the situation unsafe.

The Moneyist in an age of coronavirus: ‘All they care about is making money.’ Can my supermarket manager force me to remove my face mask at work?

The government’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s “general duty” clause states that an employer should provide a safe environment and “shall furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees.” It does not apply to state workers in Mississippi, but it’s a good start if you and your colleagues approach your manager.

Is a worker at a supermarket working in an unsafe environment if they’re wearing gloves, and if customers are allowed into the store on a staggered basis? My own take (not a legal one) on your current situation is that there is no immediate clear and present danger in a legal sense, although you are obviously at a higher risk than someone who is working remotely and/or self-quarantining. We are, after all, dealing with an invisible, highly contagious virus.

Use hand sanitizer, wash your hands, don’t touch your face, keep a respectable distance from colleagues where possible. (Six feet is recommended, but that may not always be possible for you.) Bring your own utensils and mug. If you forget, wash plastic cutlery under soap and water thoroughly before using it. Be mindful of touching everything from buttons on elevators and soap dispensers to coffee machines: Coronavirus may last longer on some surfaces than other.

Dispatches from the front lines of a pandemic: After Switzerland introduces lockdown, the Swiss keep wary eye on Italy’s worsening situation next door

If you are in a high-risk group — by virtue of your age or because of a preexisting condition, including cancer, diabetes, hypertension, or any other ailment that may otherwise suppress your immune system — you should be self-quarantining. It’s a complex issue. Take this Lyft driver, who is worried about putting food on the table and uses Febreeze to mask the stench of Lyson, and the delivery guy who sees it as his mission to keep on trucking.

Your employer may not be in any legal jeopardy by asking you to work, but that does not mean it’s not in moral jeopardy. The mayor is giving a recommendation and, as often happens with such cases, is attempting to balance productivity and economic output with the health risks, as they pertain to your town. Do I agree with your mayor and your department? I do not. Your department head or his/her department head, I assume, could make a different decision.

You could also look into paid vacation leave and/or canvas your colleagues, and be upfront and direct with your employer about your concerns. New York’s Gov. Democratic Andrew Cuomo has told all “non-essential” businesses with personnel services to close. But he is not the mayor of your town and such decisions have been taken late in the day. Please update me and our readers on how you’re doing and, once again, thank you for working. I’m sorry that you have been put in this position.

It’s an important reminder that not everyone has the luxury — or the choice — to work from home.

Coronavirus update for readers:

As of Monday morning, there were 349,211 confirmed cases and 15,308 deaths worldwide, according to data from the database of Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering; the database also reported 100,165 recoveries. The U.S. has had at least 35,224 confirmed coronavirus cases and 471 deaths, John Hopkins added.

Dispatches from the front lines of a pandemic: ‘The lack of an all-island response has also rattled communities on both sides of the Irish border.’ Pubs close due to coronavirus, government issues new strict rules for funerals

Want to read more?Follow Quentin Fottrell on Twitterand read more of his columns here

Do you have questions about how the coronavirus is impacting your life and finances? Send them to MarketWatch’s Moneyist and please include the state where you live (no full names will be used).

By submitting your story to Dow Jones & Company, the publisher of MarketWatch, you understand and agree that we may use your story, or versions of it, in all media and platforms, including via third parties.

Would you like to sign up to an email alert when a new Moneyist column has been published? If so, click on this link.

Hello there, MarketWatchers. Check out the Moneyist private Facebook FB, -2.22% group where we look for answers to life’s thorniest money issues. Readers write in to me with all sorts of dilemmas: inheritance, wills, divorce, tipping, gifting. I often talk to lawyers, accountants, financial advisers and other experts, in addition to offering my own thoughts. I receive more letters than I could ever answer, so I’ll be bringing all of that guidance — including some you might not see in these columns — to this group. Post your questions, tell me what you want to know more about, or weigh in on the latest Moneyist columns.

CRASH GOES THE BOOM

The Dow is on pace for its worst month since the Great Depression, but here’s why all hope isn’t lost amid the coronavirus crisis

141Published: March 23, 2020 at 6:16 a.m. ET
By

Mark DeCambre
The percentage drop so far in March for the Dow would rank as its second-worst in history after the 30.7% monthly skid in September of 1931


What’s ahead for the stock market in an era of coronavirus? AP


The month of March has rolled in like a ferocious lion for bullish stock-market investors, leaving little but carnage in its aftermath, as uncertainties about the effects of the coronavirus outbreak abound.

The decline for the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, -4.54% has been simply gut-wrenching for the average investor, with the monthly plunge so far for the nearly 124-year-old, blue-chip gauge poised to represent its steepest since 1931 — a year that falls within the Great Depression, the worst economic crisis in U.S. history.


The Dow has shed a staggering 6,235 points, or 24.54%, in March so far, which has dragged the stock index down to its lowest level since December of 2016. The percentage drop so far ranks as its second-worst in history after the 30.7% monthly skid in September of 1931, when the unemployment rate was at a lofty 15.9%.
DATE % DECLINE
Sept. 30, 1931 30.70
March 20, 2020 24.54*
April 29, 1932 23.68
March, 31, 1938 23.67
Oct. 30, 1987 23.22
Source: FactSet data


The velocity of the dive has been stunning.


It took a breathtaking 19 trading sessions for the Dow to fall by at least 20% from its record high on Feb. 12, a drop that meets the commonly used definition for a bear market. That’s the fastest such slide from peak to trough since 1931. It took 16 trading days for the S&P 500 SPX, -4.33% from its record high to enter a bear market, the fastest such reversal since 1933. The Nasdaq Composite Index COMP, -3.79% also slid into a bear market in those 16 days, the fastest such decline on record.

Besides obliterating the bullish trend the plunge has done a lot of technical damage, with a bearish, so-called death cross forming in the Dow, where the 50-day moving average — which many chart watchers use as a short-term trend tracker — crosses below the 200-day MA, which is widely viewed as a dividing line between longer-term uptrends and downtrends.

So is all hope lost for investors anticipating a turnaround?

It is important to note that the market’s reaction isn’t necessarily irrational to experts. The emergence of COVID-19, the infectious disease first identified in Wuhan, China, in December that has infected nearly 300,000 people globally and claimed almost 12,000 lives, is unlike any crisis markets have faced in generations.

It has required unprecedented actions by the central banks and governments across the globe because the disruptions to global economies and supply chains is likely to throw the U.S. and other economies into a recession.

Business and consumer activity have ground to a halt to mitigate the pandemic’s spread.

Read: Opinion: Stop using the word ‘stimulus’ — Washington must provide life support

See: It will take a $1.5 trillion stimulus to save America, former Fed economist says

And the length and severity of the illness isn’t yet clear, though some are expecting peak infections to occur in the next 45 days or so.

That said, a number of investors are hopeful that the market will begin to regain its footing, even if it declines further in the next few weeks and if the country slides into a recession.

Here’s the outlook from a few strategists, economist and investors:


‘The massive amounts of stimulants being injected into the financial markets will likely avoid a total collapse of the global economy; it is, however, too late to forestall a moderate to shallow recession, which has already started.’— Peter Cardillo at Spartan Capital Securities



Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Spartan Capital Securities says the emergency actions undertaken by the Fed and elsewhere in government may soften the length of the coming recession.

Cardillo added the “collapse in the stock market in such a short period of time suggests the worst fears of the unknown are being discounted. Indeed, calling a bottom is very difficult, but value is beginning to pop up in many sectors.”


“The good news is that will springload the recovery.”— Anthony Scaramucci, founder of SkyBridge Capital

Anthony Scaramucci, the former White House communications director and the founder of hedge fund SkyBridge Capital, told MSNBC during a Saturday interview he expects another 10% drop is likely before the markets stabilize.

However, he believes that an effective stimulus package could help to give the economy and markets a big lift. Larry Kudlow, the director of the National Economic Council, on Saturday said that a rescue package to help lessen the impact of the epidemic could top $2 trillion.

Scaramucci thinks that a bigger package may assuage Wall Street investors’ frayed nerves.


‘The Wuhan lockdown lasted 50 days, which means that the US and Europe should be prepared that we may get to early May before we begin to see some normalization in economic activity.’— Torsten Sløk at Deutsche Bank Securities

Torsten Sløk, chief economist at Deutsche Bank Securities, says that the recovery in Wuhan, where the virus reportedly originated, could hold some clues for the U.S.

Sløk notes that the lockdown in the Hubei province capital lasted 50 days and extrapolates that based on current attempts to limit the movement of people in the U.S. economic activity may return to normal by May, with a market rebound, perhaps, in anticipation.

“The Wuhan lockdown lasted 50 days, which means that the US and Europe should be prepared that we may get to early May before we begin to see some normalization in economic activity. Markets, however, are likely to rebound before, and many conversations this week have been about what the rebound will look like,” he wrote in a Saturday research note.

However, the economist, said that in the wake of the so-called Spanish flu in 1918, where between 50 million and 100 million people are thought to have died, the Dow’s rebound was more subdued.

Source: Deutsche Bank Securities

But Sløk says that measures that have been taken thus far, and those that likely will be taken, could foster a stronger rebound.

But it’s far too early to call a bottom in the current market downturn.

Second dog tests positive for coronavirus as owners warned not to abandon pets

Owner of quarantined German shepherd was infected, but the dog showed no symptoms of the disease

A German shepherd tested positive, but a mixed-breed dog from the same residence didn’t have a positive Covid-19 test result. Getty Images
March 21, 2020 By MarketWatch 

The Hong Kong government has urged people not to abandon their pets and to stop kissing them after a second dog tested positive for coronavirus, but stressed that the animal had not shown any symptoms of the disease.

A German shepherd living in the Pok Fu Lam area on Hong Kong Island was sent for quarantine along with another mixed-breed dog from the same residence on Thursday after their owner was confirmed as being infected, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said in a statement.


Though the shepherd tested positive for the virus, no such result was obtained from the mixed-breed dog, and “neither dog has shown any signs of disease,” the AFCD said, adding it will continue to monitor both dogs and conduct repeated tests on the animals.

The new case comes after an elderly 17-year-old Pomeranian, which had tested “weak positive” during repeated tests for the virus, died two days after it was released from quarantine disease-free. The AFCD said the dog’s owner wasn’t willing to allow an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

The Hong Kong animal-welfare authority stressed that there is currently no evidence that pets can be a source of the virus or that they can get sick from it. “Under no circumstances should [owners] abandon their pets,” it said.

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) said that infectious disease experts and multiple international and domestic human and animal health organizations, all agree there is no evidence at this point to indicate that pets become ill with Covid-19 or that they spread it to other animals, including people.

These include the Paris-based World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the U.S.’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which have also both stated that there is no evidence that companion animals such as cats and dogs can spread the virus. “Therefore, there is no justification in taking measures against companion animals which may compromise their welfare,” the OIE said.

However the AVMA said that “out of an abundance of caution, it is recommended that those ill with Covid-19 “limit contact” with animals until more information is known about the virus. The AFCD also reminded pet owners to use good hygiene practices and urged them to avoid kissing their pets.

Some animal-welfare experts have suggested the Pomeranian’s death could have been caused by the stress of being quarantined and separated from its owner, while others have noted its age. “The dog likely died from causes other than Covid-19 as it had never displayed any clinical signs of illness,” The College for Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign said in a post on its website.

Vet diagnostic company IDEXX IDXX, -5.12% said thousands of dogs and cats have been tested for Covid-19, and so far, none have tested positive for the virus.

“Our pets can be a source of comfort for us, and not another source of concern, during this evolving Covid-19 environment,” said Dr. Jim Blacka, a veterinarian with IDEXX’s Companion Animal Commercial Business. “Data from IDEXX shows no cases to date of the novel coronavirus in thousands of dog and cat samples tested, which is good news for pets and the people who care for them,” he added.

The AFCD said it “strongly advises” that mammalian pet animals including dogs and cats from households with persons infected with Covid-19 or those who have had close contacted with others infected with the virus, should be quarantined in government facilities.

Iran leader refuses U.S. help, citing coronavirus conspiracy theory 

JON GAMBRELL, Associated Press•March 22, 2020

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran's supreme leader refused U.S. assistance Sunday to fight the new coronavirus, citing an unfounded conspiracy theory claiming the virus could be man-made by America.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's comments come as Iran faces crushing U.S. sanctions blocking the country from selling its crude oil and accessing international financial markets.

But while Iranian civilian officials in recent days have increasingly criticized those sanctions, 80-year-old Khamenei instead chose to traffic in the same conspiracy theory increasingly used by Chinese officials about the new virus to deflect blame for the pandemic.

“I do not know how real this accusation is but when it exists, who in their right mind would trust you to bring them medication?" Khamenei said. "Possibly your medicine is a way to spread the virus more.”

He also alleged without offering any evidence that the virus “is specifically built for Iran using the genetic data of Iranians which they have obtained through different means.”

“You might send people as doctors and therapists, maybe they would want to come here and see the effect of the poison they have produced in person," he said.

There is no scientific proof offered anywhere in the world to support Khamenei's claims.

However, his comments come after Chinese government spokesman Lijian Zhao tweeted earlier this month that it “might be US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan. Be transparent! Make public your data! US owe(s) us an explanation!”

Lijian likewise offered no evidence to support his claim, which saw the U.S. State Department summon China's ambassador to complain. A Chinese state newspaper tweeted Sunday another allegation trying to link the virus to Italy, similarly hard-hit by the outbreak.

Wuhan is the Chinese city where the first cases of the disease were detected in December.

In recent days, the Trump administration has increasingly referred to the virus as the “Chinese” or “Wuhan” virus, while the World Health Organization used the term COVID-19 to describe the illness the virus causes. Even a U.S. senator from Arkansas has trafficked in the unfounded conspiracy theory it was a man-made Chinese bioweapon. Relations with China and the U.S. have been tense under President Donald Trump amid a trade war between the nations.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover from the new virus.

Scientists have not yet determined exactly how the new coronavirus first infected people. Evidence suggests it originated in bats, which infected another animal that spread it to people at a market in Wuhan. The now-shuttered Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market advertised dozens of species such as giant salamanders, baby crocodiles and raccoon dogs that were often referred to as wildlife, even when they were farmed.

An article published last week in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Nature Medicine dismissed the idea the virus was man-made. Its authors said it was “improbable” that the virus “emerged through laboratory manipulation of a related SARS-CoV-like coronavirus.”

Khamenei made the comments in a speech in Tehran broadcast live Sunday across Iran marking Nowruz, the Persian New Year, and the Islamic commemoration known as Isra and Miraj. He had called off his usual speech at Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad over the virus outbreak.

His comments come as Iran has over 21,600 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus amid 1,685 reported deaths, according to government figures released Sunday. Experts still fear Iran may be underreporting its cases.

Iran is one of the hardest-hit countries in the world by the new virus, sweeping across leaders in both its civilian government and Shiite theocracy. Across the Mideast, Iran represents eight of 10 cases of the virus and those leaving the Islamic Republic have carried the virus to other countries.

Iranian officials have criticized U.S. offers of aid during the virus crisis as being disingenuous. They have accused the Trump administration of wanting to capitalize on its “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran since withdrawing from the nuclear deal in May 2018. However, the U.S. has directly offered the Islamic Republic aid in the past despite decades of enmity, like former President George W. Bush did during the devastating Bam earthquake of 2003.

The U.S. sanctions have made it more difficult for Iran to access the global market. International firms remain leery of deals with Tehran, even those for humanitarian purposes. The U.S. and Switzerland announced a trade mechanism in late February the two nations say “presents a voluntary option for facilitating payment for exports of agricultural commodities, food, medicine, and medical devices to Iran.”

All this comes after months of tensions that ended with Iran saying it would no longer follow any limits of the nuclear deal. A U.S. drone strike in January killed top Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani while Tehran retaliated with a ballistic missile attack targeting American forces in Iraq.

Reassigning blame could be helpful to Iran's government, which faced widespread public anger after denying for days it shot down a Ukrainian jetliner, killing 176 people. Widespread economic problems as well has seen mass demonstrations in recent years that saw hundreds reportedly killed.

Iranian hard-liners have supported conspiracy theories in the past when it suited their interests. Following the Sept. 11 attacks, some publicly doubted al-Qaida's role and state TV promoting the unfounded conspiracy theory that the Americans blew up the building themselves.

Former hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad similarly raised doubt about the Sept. 11 attack, calling it a “big lie," while also describing the Holocaust as a “myth.”

Meanwhile on Sunday, Iran imposed a two-week closure on major shopping malls and centers across the country to prevent spreading the virus. Pharmacies, supermarkets, groceries and bakeries will remain open. Doctors Without Borders also plans to open a 50-bed inflatable treatment unit in the Iranian city of Isfahan.

What's the purpose of the phrase 'Chinese virus'?

Mike Bebernes Editor, Yahoo News 360•March 21, 20
“The 360” shows you diverse perspectives on the day’s top stories and debates.


Trump defends calling COVID-19 the 'Chinese virus' of bias against Chinese-Americans


MASK OF FU MANCHU 1932 
BORIS KARLOFF, MYRNA LOY

What’s happening

In the past few days, President Trump and some of his fellow conservatives have changed the way they refer to the virus that has caused nearly 10,000 deaths around the world. For more than two months, Trump used the word “coronavirus.” On Monday, he began calling it the “Chinese virus” on Twitter and in public briefings. Other GOP lawmakers and conservative media figures have pivoted their language as well, with some preferring “Wuhan virus,” referring to the area of China where the outbreak originated.

The change in word choice has raised accusations of racism. Trump defended himself Wednesday, saying, “It comes from China. I want to be accurate.” The White House accused the president’s critics of “fake media outrage.”

Trump is correct that the virus is believed to come from China. But using the phrase goes against modern best practices to avoid location-based names for infectious diseases. Not only are they often inaccurate — Spanish flu started in Kansas and Ebola was chosen by scientists using an incorrect map — but they can also stigmatize people from the region the virus is named after. “It’s really important we be careful in the language we use lest it lead to the profiling of individuals associated with the virus,” a World Health Organization official said.

There have been numerous reports of racism against Asians in the U.S. and abroad, including hate crimes, as the outbreak has escalated. Health experts say this prejudice could hinder efforts to combat the pandemic.


Why there’s debate

Trump and his allies argue that the term “Chinese virus” is necessary to ensure that China’s government is held accountable for the missteps it took in the early stages of the outbreak that allowed the virus to spread to other parts of the world. The president’s critics say he’s looking to redirect blame for the impact the virus is having in the U.S. amid accusations that the administration has mismanaged the crisis and put American lives at risk.

Others say the vocabulary shift is an attempt to change the debate to one about the president’s language choice rather than his performance. Trump has faced regular allegations of racism since referring to Mexican immigrants as “rapists” in the first address of his presidential campaign. Combating those accusations — and using them as an opportunity to rail against politically correct culture — is something the president and his supporters have ample practice at, and may even see a political advantage in.

Some historians say the phrase “Chinese virus” is part of a long history of blaming foreigners, particularly Asians, for epidemics.
Perspectives

It’s an attempt to distract from mismanagement of the crisis

“The White House [would] clearly rather have a National Conversation about political correctness run amok than talk about the shocking and continuing malfeasance of the WH’s response that will result in unnecessary deaths.” — MSNBC host Chris Hayes

It’s important to be truthful about where the virus started

“While some here say that’s a racist term, it’s actually just an accurate term of where it started, and them not being transparent about how it started really hurt literally the rest of the planet.” — Brian Kilmeade, Fox News


MASK OF FU MANCHU 1932 
BORIS KARLOFF

Trump and his allies are more comfortable in debates about rhetoric

“Controversies like these are a perfect example of what Steve Bannon, Trump’s former campaign manager, called ‘flooding the zone with sh*t’ — distracting us from what matters with copious flushes of what doesn’t. And raw sewage is this president’s natural habitat, the medium in which he fights most effectively. His opponents are willingly lured into the sewers.” — Graeme Wood, Atlantic

It’s fair to blame the Chinese government, but not to stigmatize the country’s citizens

“If the present instances are unfair to the Chinese people, who have suffered massively from the outbreak, a better name would be ‘Xi’s disease.’” — Editorial, National Review

Trump sees political advantage in ‘culture war’ debates

“There is no word in the world more recognizable right now than ‘coronavirus.’ From his infamous ‘both sides’ remarks about a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., to his labeling of Haiti and African nations as ‘sh*thole countries’ to referring to Mexicans as ‘rapists’ and ‘drug dealers,’ Trump’s frequent displays of racism are deliberate.” — Kurt Bardella, NBC News

It provides a chance to make the left look excessively PC

“Do I think he should be calling it the Chinese virus? No. But I think it’s a losing argument for the left to make because I think the vast majority of Americans are going to say, ‘Who cares?’” — Dan Abrams, The View

The virus offers an opportunity to needle Trump’s biggest geopolitical rival

“China is a regular punching bag for a president who lays blame for all sorts of global ills at China’s door; he has already sparked a trade war with China, plunging any semblance of bilateralism to historic lows. Countless Republicans seem to see the coronavirus — uh, Wuhan virus — as another Team Trump layup that they’re not gonna miss.” — Daniel King, Mother Jones

Fear of disease has always been tied to fear of foreigners

“The language of disease has always been linked to our discourse around immigration. I think it’s pretty clear that our fears about immigrants and outsiders have always been bolstered by fears about disease and contamination.” — Historian Natalia Molin to Vox

MASK OF FU MANCHU 1932 

BORIS KARLOFF