Hostility to Chinese tourists is growing in Italy

"No one from China is allowed to come in here". So the message, written in both English and Chinese, reads at a bar in Rome. The bar is located on Via del Lavatore street, right next to the world famous Fontana di Trevi fountain. Here the tourists flock all year round and many of them are Chinese.

But as concerns about the corona virus spread, the open hostility towards Chinese visitors and citizens increases.

“Due to international security regulations, no one coming from China is allowed to enter here. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause ”.

So it says on the sign at the cafe bar next to the fountain in central Rome. Elsewhere in the tourist-densely populated Italian capital, there is a report on growing open allegiance to people of Asian appearance, as well as inappropriate comments about Chinese and China, in Italian social media.

- This is unworthy, this sign. An already serious situation is exacerbated in this way. The fear of being infected is understandable. But discrimination on grounds of origin is unacceptable, in this delicate situation we must calm down and help everyone, local politician Marco Palumbo tells Italian media.

On Friday, the Italian government declared national emergency after a Chinese tourist couple was found to be infected. Their hotel rooms in Rome have been blocked off.

The emergency situation applies from now and a half year onwards but can be changed. The government has also committed five million euros, just over SEK 50 million, to stop the spread of the virus.

Italy has also stopped all flights to and from China.

- I can assure you that we have adopted the most stringent safety regulations of all countries in Europe, perhaps even in the world. The Italians can be calm, says Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.

The infected couple has been in Italy for ten days, in Milan, Parma, Verona and now Rome, and Italian infection control officers are now working intensively to trace their itinerary. The group of tourists they traveled with were isolated in hospitals in Rome, awaiting trial answers.

Next week, the venerable Carnival in Venice, as well as Carnival Celebration Italy begins over. The celebrations are big tourist magnets, something that worries the authorities given the state of the spread of the virus.