Asian culture is in many ways primed to combat infectious disease, which makes it all the more frustrating that suspicion and even harassment of Asians has increased due to fears of coronavirus. Before New York told people to stay inside their homes unless necessary, I observed the tension between Asian hygiene and anti-Asian prejudice almost every time I commuted to and from work. Every day, I’d step on a packed 7 train only to find that every seat was occupied — except for a single spot next to an older Asian woman wearing a face mask.