After five Nigerians tested positive for COVID-19 in Guangzhou, China, the government ordered all residents of African descent to quarantine for 14 days, a move that led to businesses and landlords to issue evictions and bans that many in the African community said were based on discrimination.
A McDonald’s in Guangzhou has come under scrutiny after one branch in China posted a sign prohibiting black people from entering its premises. The sign, which was posted in a McDonald’s in the city of Guangzhou and went viral on social media, was removed and the restaurant temporarily shut down, a representative from McDonald’s told USA TODAY in a statement. “We’ve been informed that from now on black people are not allowed to enter the restaurant,” the sign read. “Please understand the inconvenience caused.” The message on the sign, the statement said, is “not representative of our inclusive values.” McDonald’s also said the branch’s employees and managers will undergo “values” training.
Following the outbreak, Guangzhou officials announced that all residents of African descent—about 4,500 people—must quarantine for 14 days “regardless of their previous circumstances or how long they have been in Guangzhou,” reports the South China Morning Post, adding that African residents’ homes will be monitored with tracking devices that will alert officials if they “open the door.” The ban led to reports of African residents being evicted and banned from businesses; people have taken to social media to document evicted African residents sleeping on the street, interacting with police and Nigerian diplomats delivering food to their now-homeless compatriots, causing foreign ministers of Uganda, Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria to speak out in protest.
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