'If it happens, it happens': In New York City's Chinatown, it's business as usual despite coronavirus fears

Vendors are still hawking knock-off Rolex watches and Gucci handbags, and Peking duck is still being ordered for carryout

Pedestrians walk by Peking ducks in a Chinatown restaurant's window (Clark Mindock/The Independent)

As the Wuhan coronavirus spreads around the globe, New York City’s Chinatown remains bustling, with many giving what amounts to a collective shrug in the face of an outbreak that has health officials on high alert.

On Monday, just before the US State Department pushed its travel warning for China up a notch, the streets remained filled. Shops were open, with vendors hawking knock-off Rolex watches and Gucci bags. Gleaming Peking ducks hung in the windows of restaurants, which themselves did not seem to want for customers.

While some pedestrians could be seen wearing surgical masks as they went about their day, the sight is not uncommon in the busy and iconic neighbourhood in downtown Manhattan. If anything, people weren’t staying away amid the outbreak so much as showing their nonchalance, with one police officer overheard saying to another, “Chinatown is busy today, huh?”

“I’ve been eating here since I was a baby,” said Elyaher Ruiz, a 30-year-old who lives in Queens but works in the neighbourhood, told The Independent after picking up an order of duck at his favourite restaurant on Canal Street.

Noting that a virus isn’t the first thing he would want to ponder before eating lunch, Mr Ruiz nevertheless said he isn’t too worried about a health scare that still feels half a world away: “I am just going to be doing the things I always have, and that includes eating at the restaurants I like.”

Pedestrians pass by outside of a Chinatown fish market (Clark Mindock/The Independent)

The Wuhan coronavirus has claimed at least 81 lives in China since December, when it appears to have began infecting people at a market in Wuhan.

The outbreak has included estimates indicating that more than 2,900 people have contracted the disease worldwide, including 44 outside of China in at least four US states, France, Canada and Australia. The UK is reportedly monitoring over 1,000 people, but has so far not had a confirmed case of the virus.

In the United States, one case has been confirmed in Washington State, two in California, one in Arizona and one in Illinois.

In New York City, at least five people have been quarantined, with some who have recently travelled to China self-isolating, as officials have warned it’s only a matter of time until a confirmed case is found in the city.

“It’s inevitable that we will have someone who is positive with coronavirus,” said Dr Oxiris Barbot, the New York City health commissioner.

But, in Chinatown, the vibe has remained defiant, if not indifferent.

“If it’s going to happen, I’m going to take it as it comes,” said Eric Lee, who lives in Chinatown.

Mr Lee was standing outside a drug store, which a friend of his owns. He said the owner of the shop has seen a slight increase in demand, but some nearby pharmacies had already doubled or tripled their prices for the masks, which have little scientific evidence as being effective in protecting against viruses (the shop owner himself smiled, but declined to comment for this article).

“It’s better to be safe than sorry,” Mr Lee continued, referring to the masks. “But, I think it’s drama-driven.”

Several shop owners or workers interviewed by The Independent on Canal Street similarly said they weren’t worried. Of those who did express some concern, or who said their potential customers were worried, the threat appeared to be mild.

Ray Mun, who has worked in Chinatown for about four years, was among those, saying he’s “a little bit worried”, but motioned outside to the unending stream of people on the sidewalk.

“Sure, some people are scared, they’re wearing masks,” Mr Mun said. “But, it’s New York City. People are everywhere.”