Kamala Harris Makes Move to Condemn Calling COVID-19 the 'Wuhan Virus'

Julio Rosas | May 21, 2020 11:35 AM

Senate Democrats, led by Kamala Harris (CA), are pushing a resolution that condemns calling COVID-19 as the "Chinese virus," "Wuhan virus," or "Kung-flu" as racism perpetuating "anti-Asian stigma."

Singers onto the resolution include Sens. Tammy Duckworth (IL), Mazie Hirono (HI), Maria Cantwell (WA), Ed Markey (MA), Tina Smith (MN), Dick Durbin (IL), Catherine Cortez Masto (NV), Amy Klobuchar (MN), Patty Murray (WA), Mark Warner (VA), Ben Cardin (MD), Diane Feinstein (CA), Tom Carper (DE), Bernie Sanders (VT), and Cory Booker (NJ).

The resolution cites the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control "that naming COVID–19 by its geographic location or linking COVID–19 to a specific ethnicity perpetuates stigma" and the WHO issued guidance in 2015 "calling on media outlets, scientists, and national authorities to avoid naming infectious diseases for locations to avoid stigmatizing groups of people."

The resolution calls for the condemnation of "all manifestations or expressions of racism, xenophobia, discrimination, anti-Asian sentiment, scapegoating, and ethnic or religious in4 tolerance" along with pushing for law enforcement across the county to collect data and keep track of anti-Asian hate crimes.

The debate over calling COVID-19 the "Wuhan coronavirus" of "Chinese virus" began after President Trump referred to it as such following members of the Chinese Communist Party attempts to place blame on the origin of the global pandemic on the United States. Many within the media said Trump was being racist for using the term despite themselves having used it for weeks before.