An Asian American CNN correspondent was subjected to racism whilst reporting at Myrtle Beach.
Natasha Chen was covering how people spending Memorial Day weekend at the South Carolina beach amid the Coronavirus pandemic when the incident occurred.
The unnamed man approached Chen who was wearing a mask a the time and began swearing at her.
“While I had a mask on, he said to me to get out of his country and that I was responsible for [Coronavirus] referring to my ethnicity,” Chen recalled.
Hate crimes towards Asians have been rising since the outbreak of the pandemic. A report by the Human Rights Watch has shown that Coronavirus is fuelling anti-Asian hate.
The CNN reporter however clarified that the majority of people at the beach were far more welcoming.
“That wasn’t nice but for the most part, everybody has been very open to talking to us about this very unusual Memorial Day weekend,” she said.
Chen also added that her crew seemed “to be the only people in masks that we’ve seen all day.”
In related news, Vancouver Chinatown has been hit with racist Coronavirus graffiti.
