‘The Face of the Coronavirus’: A Hong Kong Student Shunned in Italy

Not everyone Ms. Lo has met in Italy has been hostile, she said. Some have gone out of their way to help her. The man who accompanied her to the police station gave her money for food when they parted ways. At another bank, an employee called her university on her behalf to explain that she did not have any money and was having trouble opening an account. The school sent an employee to Bologna to lend her money.

In general, though, Ms. Lo has felt like an outsider.

“I am frustrated. Because I am Chinese, I am the face of the coronavirus,” she said.

In recent days, Italy has become the center of the coronavirus outbreak in Europe, with the most cases of any country outside of Asia. Ms. Lo has mostly stayed home to avoid crowds and unwelcome stares, venturing outside only for groceries.

People around Bologna have cleared supermarket shelves of bleach and staples like pasta and tomato sauce, she said. The streets have become empty, like Hong Kong. Face masks are still uncommon, but more people are covering their mouths with winter scarves.

Though she felt mistreated by the people from the bank and the police station, Ms. Lo said she does not wish them harm. She feels unwelcome, but she can empathize with why Italians are concerned and eager to keep their community safe. There is a similar feeling in Hong Kong, but the discrimination is directed toward those from mainland China, she said.

“How do we protect our welfare and rights while still being friendly to people?” she asked.

She added: “It is not easy to strike a balance, and there will never be one.”

Elisabetta Povoledo contributed reporting in Rome.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/02/world/asia/coronavirus-italy-racism.html