May Foung is a Chinese chef who opened a restaurant in the Kurdistan Region last year, offering Erbil a taste of the Far East. Her restaurant is one of four Chinese restaurants operating in the city. However, her clientele has fallen dramatically in recent weeks since the outbreak of coronavirus in her native China. “Yes, our sales are not good these days. It has dropped by 75 percent. You can see our food is clean and fresh. It is all made here in Kurdistan,” the restaurateur said. Before news of the coronavirus outbreak spread, the restaurant served up to 70 customers per day. Now it’s lucky to serve 5. The novel coronavirus was first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December. It is thought to have been transmitted to humans from animals at a Wuhan fish market. Since the outbreak, East Asians around the world have been met with wariness and hostility. Erbil diners have nothing to fear from their Chinese neighbours, however - only those who have traveled to infected areas since January are at risk of transmitting the virus, according to the World Health Organization. Rzgar, one of May’s regulars, hasn’t been put off his food. “All the food is made with local products. Their food is delicious, especially this one. I like it very much and come here all the time to eat it,” Rzgar said. Jounaling Wang opened her restaurant here four years ago. All of her ingredients are sourced from the Kurdistan Region, she says - but she too has lost a large chunk of her customer base as a result of outbreak-induced stigma. “Unfortunately we lost 60 percent of our guests because of the coronavirus,” she said. To date, around 70,000 cases of the virus have been reported. 1,700 people have died – but 9,800 people have made a full recovery – an encouraging prognosis. Reporting by Mahdi Faraj
