Has coronavirus scared people away from SF's Chinatown?

FILE - A photo of Chinatown at night. Neighborhood proprietors are concerned that the fear of coronavirus is affecting business. FILE - A photo of Chinatown at night. Neighborhood proprietors are concerned that the fear of coronavirus is affecting business. Photo: Peeterv/Getty Images/iStockphoto Photo: Peeterv/Getty Images/iStockphoto Image 1 of / 45 Caption Close Has coronavirus scared people away from SF's Chinatown? 1 / 45 Back to Gallery

In spite of screaming firecrackers and the sharp salutes of bang-snaps thrown onto the sidewalk, Chinatown was a little quieter during this year’s Lunar New Year parade festivities.

“It’s frustrating,” spokesperson Willliam Gee said Monday morning. He’s one of the organizers of the annual televised celebration, which typically draws over three million spectators worldwide. This year, however, he acknowledged there was a slight, yet noticeable decrease in the crowd, estimating about 10 percent fewer attendees than previous years — a drop Gee attributes to baseless fears over contracting the coronavirus.

The lapse in turnout wasn't so bad, but more concerning was the flood of disgruntled responses from some residents after city officials assured the public the parade was safe to attend.

“We have had emails from concerned volunteers, parents, citizens of the city and the Bay Area, asking, ‘Why do you insist to continue on with this parade where we’re going to gather a big group of Asians; where we could get infected?’” said Gee. “Those fears are unfounded – just because it’s a big Asian event doesn’t mean you’re going to get infected.”

As of Tuesday, there were 13 diagnosed cases of coronavirus in the United States, with four people infected in the Bay Area. Local public health officials have emphasized the threat of the virus in the Bay Area continues to be extremely low. That could change, but for now, only those who have recently traveled to China or people in close contact with those who have contracted the illness are considered to be at risk.

“I saw some people wearing masks earlier today, but it looks like a lot of them took them off. Maybe they realized they didn’t need them,” a parade staffer told SFGATE at the event.

Chinatown restaurateurs like San Sun’s James Cheh say rumors on social media seem to be spreading faster than the virus itself.

“One person posts about it on WeChat, and the next thing you know, lots of people are worried,” Cheh told SFGATE.

Located on Washington Street, his restaurant has been serving up a variety of Chinese and Vietnamese dishes to locals and tourists for nearly 30 years. The day of the parade usually drums up a lot of business, but this year was significantly less busy.

“Because the coronavirus is from China, and most people in Chinatown are Chinese, people are kind of afraid to come in,” said Cheh. “It makes me feel sad because most of the Chinese people living in the United States... they’ve never even been to China.”

Pointing around the close-to-empty dining area on Saturday afternoon, Cheh said the impact of the rumors was tangible.

“I can tell you, compared to last year on parade day, it was packed at this point because people want to get something to eat before they go to the parade,” he said. “Now fewer and fewer people want to come out.”

He’s not alone. Last week, KPIX reported the lines typically stretching out the door of AA Bakery had all but disappeared after rumors spread on WhatsApp that one of the workers had somehow contracted coronavirus. At the time, Edward Siu of the Chinese Merchants Association also told KPIX foot traffic on the streets of Chinatown was down by 50 percent.

Contrary to some bizarre online hearsay, though, coronavirus cannot be passed through food. According to the CDC, it's most likely to spread from person to person via respiratory droplets when the infected party coughs or sneezes.

“Social media isn’t dangerous, but when someone bases their decisions on opinions, not that of experts, you start to enclose yourself in a bubble of fear: of getting sick, of contracting a virus, rather than enjoying yourself and spending time at a celebration of Asian culture,” said Gee.

He attempted to curtail the spread of misinformation ahead of the parade.

“Some of the comments I’ve been reading basically said, ‘Why should we celebrate an Asian culture that sparked this virus?’ We’re not celebrating the virus, that’s insane,” said Gee. “We understand it came from China but it’s not of Chinese people.”

While his sympathies do go out to victims – with a death toll of over 1,000 in China, the virus should clearly be taken seriously – he also hopes people seek to educate themselves rather than contribute to mounting racism and xenophobia.

“We’re continuing to celebrate Asian culture and we’re proud to share it with people,” said Gee. “The amount of crowds at the parade and this weekend’s street fair prove people want to take a chance and come out.”

All things considered, the parade seemed to go on "without a hitch," said Gee. About 2,400 people paid for bleacher seats – those sold out this year, to his surprise – and the streets appeared to be just as packed with vendors, dancers and observers as any other year. He’d like to see a similar turnout at the 42nd annual Chinese New Year Run on March 1. In the meantime, he encourages people to support Chinatown’s many restaurants and storefronts.

Cheh agrees.

“Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Just do the noble thing and eat.”

Amanda Bartlett is an SFGATE associate digital reporter. Email: amanda.bartlett@sfgate.com | Twitter: @byabartlett