‘We’re sleeping outside’ – China evicts Africans from apartments over coronavirus

Chinese officials have started evicting hundreds of African residents and businessmen from hotels and apartments as they are being accused of having the novel coronavirus.

The Africans say they are just being targeted under the guise of a testing campaign for the global pandemic also known as COVID-19. Some of them alleged that they have been placed under forced quarantine without being told about the results of their tests.

The Africans, who are based in China’s southern city of Guangzhou, have described the development as discriminatory. “They are accusing us of having the virus,” a Nigerian student, Tobenna Victor, was quoted by the BBC.

“We paid rent to them and after collecting rent they chased us out of the house. Since last night we have been sleeping outside. They came to my house. They told me to wait after 24 hours for the result, [but] after 24 hours nobody contacted me,” a Congolese businessman, Lunde Okulunge Isidore, also claimed.

Africa has recorded 10,712 COVID-19 cases out of which 1,174 have recovered with 533 deaths as of April 8, 2020, according to Johns Hopkins.

Guangzhou houses one of the largest African communities in China. African traders, especially those from the informal sector, buy most of their goods from the area to the continent. Local Chinese health officials have raised concerns about a possible second outbreak of the COVID-19 over the increase in the number of imported cases.

People traveling to Guangzhou are required to undergo mandatory quarantine for 14 days as part of measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus.