Concerns over the rapid spread of coronavirus in the U.S. are beginning to take a toll on San Diego’s Main Street businesses, where Asian-owned restaurants, markets, and massage parlors are suddenly facing misdirected fear from customers.
From New York City to Los Angeles, shoppers appear to be avoiding Chinese business districts in particular, with merchants reporting dips in sales from 30 percent to even 50 percent. Here in San Diego, where there are some 30,000 Asian/Pacific Islander-owned businesses, city leaders have called the shopping behavior “senseless.”
“Because of this hysteria, (the business owners’) livelihoods are at stake,” said San Diego City Councilman Chris Cate at a press conference last month.
Madi Rivera, a barista at Korean supermarket chain H Mart on Balboa Avenue, said that worries about the coronavirus are extending beyond Chinese-owned or run operations to all Asian markets.
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“It’s definitely been less busy the last few weeks,” Rivera said. “I think all Asian markets will see an impact, just because of the products they stock and the people who work here.”
H Mart staff was recently sent instructions from corporate to take extra care in sanitation and prevention, stocking the business with hand sanitizer stations and equipping all workers with face masks to wear while at work. Rivera said she believes this is a gesture by the company to help customers know staff is taking extra caution.
They’re not the only local business facing customer fear. Happy Head Massage, a local chain of massage parlors, recently sent an email to its customers assuring them that no workers had recently visited China.
“If you’re concerned and would like your therapist to wear a face mask, just ask the front desk,” the email reads. “We’ll be happy to provide it.”
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Owner Michael Pritsker said he began to notice concern coming from customers about three or four weeks ago. Pritsker employs 140 people, most of whom are Asian, across nine locations in San Diego.
“People kept asking, ‘Are they sick? Is it possible they have coronavirus? I heard them having a cough,’” Pritsker said.
The masks, he hoped, would put customers’ minds at ease.
When fear fuels xenophobia
While fear and caution may be driving customer behavior, there’s also rising concern that underlying bigotry and xenophobia are also at play.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-San Francisco) issued a statement this week urging residents not to spread false information or give in to fears.
“We’ve also seen a rise in racism toward Asian Americans because the virus is associated with China,” she said. “This is unconscionable and it’s not the American way. People of all ages, races and ethnicities are susceptible to this disease. Bigotry toward any one group for a virus they have nothing to do with makes no sense.”
Rivera and her co-worker Kaylee Farias also said paranoia around coronavirus was making many Asian-Americans feel targeted, whether they were at work, school, or out in the community.
“We have a Korean friend who said she feels like she can’t even go to school anymore, because every time she sneezes people will turn and glare at her or physically move away from her,” Farias said.
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A staffer at Zion Market, also in the Convoy area, said she and her friends have experienced similar treatment in public over the past month, whether they’re Chinese or not.
Putting Convoy into context
Lauren Garces, a spokeswoman for Convoy District’s collection of business owners, said it’s important to put a few things into context, not the least of which are reports of slowed foot traffic.
“Many of the business owners in the Convoy neighborhood have shared ... that February is typically a slow month in general for the area (and many other San Diego neighborhoods), but most have been able to retain their loyal customer base with normal operations and staffing,” Garces wrote in an email.
While larger chains and regional favorites might be safe from slowing sales, she acknowledged that independent businesses are the ones that could be in jeopardy.
“Typically, it is the smaller mom and pop shops that are being affected harder by customer anxieties since customers are less willing to try a place they’ve never been — especially during these times,” Garces wrote.
She also noted that face masks in Asian-owned or run businesses should not be alarming to customers. This is a cultural norm in these communities.
“For many years prior to the coronavirus outbreak, face masks have been commonly used in East Asian countries, including for protection from pollution,” Garces wrote. “This practice has crossed over into immigrant Asian American populations in the United States and the masks are now more prevalent as a result of the outbreak.”
With the recent confirmed coronavirus case at a Chula Vista AT&T this week, all businesses in San Diego should remain vigilant in health protocols, she said.
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“However, we should not let fear keep us from visiting the places we enjoy, exploring one of the most unique neighborhoods around, and supporting a community that contributes to San Diego’s economy as a whole,” Garces wrote.
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March 07, 2020 at 09:02PM
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Asian-owned businesses in San Diego face coronavirus stereotyping; foot traffic on the decline - The San Diego Union-Tribune
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