Hundreds of chinese shops and restaurants have been shut down and hate crimes have been blamed for the first changes in the new coronal virus.
track back through the lunar new year in january, birmingham's chinatown is still celebrating, but the crowd is significantly less than usual.
Organizer Mr. Wang remembers that it was the local Chinese who did not come to Chinatown at the beginning. And they saw the Wuhan epidemic, and they saw piles of sick bodies on the Internet, afraid to go out.
At that time, the words of blockade, unpaid leave, quarantine and quarantine had not entered the daily life of the British, but many Chinese in Britain had begun to isolate themselves.
Long before the rush to buy big british supermarket chains such as Tesco and Sainsbury's, chinese shoppers had started hoarding.
He said :" People began to buy a lot of rice ,10 bags and 20 bags at a time, so many meters can not be eaten in a year; panic sex hoarding is like the end of the world. "
Business in chinatown collapsed long before britain's prime minister, johnson, ordered the closure of the cafe and a full blockade in mid-march. Nearly five months later, boss Wang, who runs a Chinese restaurant in Birmingham, is stepping up his preparations to resume business.
"A few days ago, I saw a Chinese woman wearing a transparent mask and two layers of as if to protect against radiation against radiation ," he said. "
Because Coronavirus first started in China, local Chinatowns, Chinese, Chinese shops and restaurants also encountered racial discrimination and xenophobia.
Boss Wang said Coronavirus definitely stigmatizes Chinatown, but he believes Birmingham is very diverse and many people still like Chinese food.
Mr. Wang's Sino-British restaurant, which is due to resume business on July 4, separates the dining table by three meters and also has an outdoor dining area outside the restaurant.
The counter is also provided with a transparent partition that allows customers to use an electronic ordering system or a one-time order; each guest takes a temperature check.
Another Malaysian restaurant in Birmingham's Chinatown closed for nearly a month after the closure of the new crown. It was later converted to a take-out shop, which only serves takeout and delivers meals.
According to the owner of the take-out shop, the restaurant closed can not support the livelihood, can only change the business model, temporarily only provide take-out and delivery services.
As a result of the epidemic, Chinese supermarkets, which supply Chinese restaurants and take-out stores, have also been affected, with business plummeting after the leave shortening hours.
For a while now, the take-out and delivery services have been back in business, but the second-generation boss is not too optimistic about future business.
"Restaurants and take-out shops are the mainstay of the restaurant industry, hoping people will have the confidence to return to their homes. "
Property managers in Birmingham's Chinatown district say 18 of the 80-plus businesses in the city have said they will reopen on July 4.
Property management manager robinson (Julia Robinson) said they are trying to persuade local government to close the streets so that people can have more space to move around and eat out at will.
She says they hope to create a free and relaxing space for customers to enjoy their food when the restaurant resumes business.
But some restaurants are completely closed and won't reopen.
Mr. Robinson said more close.
"For the past few months they have to pay rent and property services, but they don't have 15 per cent of our businesses have no government assistance. "
But she called on Chinatown merchants to remain confident ," We will stick to it. "
"We are all part of the Birmingham family and we need everyone to come out and support us. "
Mr wang also wants locals to regain confidence and continue spending in chinatown under the new normal.
