Teachers of Chinese and other “East Asian heritage” are reportedly being subjected to racist name-calling and intimidation in schools as the coronavirus outbreak continues.
There are currently 85 confirmed cases of the disease in the UK, with a global total of 90,000 and a growing death toll of over 3,000 people.
The disease, which originated in Wuhan, China, is resulting in “banter” and overt racism directed at people of certain ethnicity, according to the NASUWT teachers’ union.
On Wednesday the union released a statement saying reports by its members of abuse, prejudice and xenophobia have all increased since the outbreak reached the UK.
The union also gave an example of pupils playing a game of tag named after the coronavirus.
In a letter to Education Secretary Gavin Williamson NASUWT warned of pupils and school staff being verbally and physically abused on “grounds that appear to be racially motivated”.
The union is calling on education ministers to extend the coronavirus guidance that has already been issued to schools to address racist incidents related to coronavirus.
Chris Keates, acting general secretary of the NASUWT, said: “The NASUWT is extremely concerned at the extent of increased incidences of abuse, prejudice, xenophobia and racism as a result of the coronavirus (Covid-19).
“Misinformation and false reporting about the coronavirus, its causes and how it is spread have fuelled fear and panic and in some cases led to the ostracising of people of East Asian heritage and others perceived to be ‘foreign’ or an ‘immigrant’ within the UK.
“Unfortunately, schools and colleges are not exempt from the associated xenophobic and racialised stereotyping of Chinese and other East Asian people.
“The NASUWT has received reports of increased covert and overt racial attacks perpetrated against some minority ethnic pupils and NASUWT members linked to coronavirus concerns.”
This isn’t the first instance of China’s ambassador to the UK Liu Xiaoming said the Chinese embassy had received reports of racism from universities “and even in some middle schools and primary schools”.
Ms Keates added: “The NASUWT is urging the Department for Education to communicate with schools and provide guidance and support for school leaders.”
Italy is set to close all schools and universities for two weeks in a bid to contain the spread of coronavirus, as the death toll in the country has risen to 79.
The government ordered classrooms across the country to shut until mid-March, news agencies including Ansa and the state-run RAI reported.
A number of businesses in the UK have started advising employees to work from home in the ongoing bid to curb the outbreak.
By Wednesday, a number of large companies including Google, JP Morgan and Twitter had released Covid-19 contingency plans to UK-based staff that included compulsory working from home.
