“Practice social distancing, not ethnic distancing.”
That’s the message of a new website and campaign prompted by months of anti-Asian racism in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, including multiple physical attacks on members of the Asian community.
The website HealthNotHate.com – supported by the Burnaby NOW, the Tri-City News, the New Westminster Record and its parent company, Glacier Media – says COVID-19 is a “health issue, not a race issue.”
“At a time when the physical health of our communities is at stake, there’s no need for racial discrimination to enter the conversation,” says a message on the website. “Not now, not ever. With Covid-19, we are fighting a common enemy with our collective welfare at the top of our minds. That’s yours and mine. Our families, our friends, our neighbours. Let’s heal together during this pandemic and not inflict another wound to ourselves in the process. Practice social distancing, not ethnic distancing. Because, it’s a health issue, not a race issue.”
People are being asked to post photos of themselves wearing face masks with the hashtag #HealthNotHate.
