‘Black People Are Not Allowed’: Reports of Discrimination After Chinese City Orders Mandatory Quarantine for African Residents; McDonald’s in China Apologizes for Sign Banning Black People Amid Coronavirus

By Forbes. After five Nigerians tested positive for COVID-19 in Guangzhou, China, the government ordered all residents of African descent to quarantine for 14 days, a move that led to businesses and landlords to issue evictions and bans that many in the African community said were based on discrimination.

The city of Guangzhou, which has just 463 cases of COVID-19, said that it had tallied 111 imported cases, leading to fears of a second-wave outbreak, according to the South China Morning Post; officials said 10 cases were linked to the business district known as “Little Africa,” including 5 cases linked to a single restaurant.

Following the outbreak, Guangzhou officials announced that all residents of African descent—about 4,500 people—must quarantine for 14 days “regardless of their previous circumstances or how long they have been in Guangzhou,” reports the South China Morning Post, adding that African residents’ homes will be monitored with tracking devices that will alert officials if they “open the door.”

The ban led to reports of African residents being evicted and banned from businesses; people have taken to social media to document evicted African residents sleeping on the street, interacting with police and Nigerian diplomats delivering food to their now-homeless compatriots, causing foreign ministers of Uganda, Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria to speak out in protest. (Read more from “‘Black People Are Not Allowed’: Reports of Discrimination After Chinese City Orders Mandatory Quarantine for African Residents” HERE)

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McDonald’s in China Apologizes for Sign Banning Black People Amid Coronavirus

By New York Post. A McDonald’s restaurant in China has been temporarily closed after it tried to ban black people from entering over fears of the coronavirus, according to a report. . .

McDonald’s said that the store was quickly shuttered when it became aware of the disturbing notice and that the restaurant’s apparent ban on black people was “not representative” of the company’s “inclusive values.”

“Immediately upon learning of an unauthorized communication to our guests at a restaurant in Guangzhou, we immediately removed the communication and temporarily closed the restaurant,” a McDonald’s spokesperson said in a statement to the BBC. (Read more from “McDonald’s in China Apologizes for Sign Banning Black People Amid Coronavirus” HERE)

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