Coronavirus: NHS nurse racially attacked walking to work overtime shift

A nurse has been assaulted and racially abused as she walked to work for an overtime shift to help the struggling NHS during the coronavirus outbreak.

Reizel Quaichon said in a Facebook post that she was already "mentally shattered" from "risking her life" working long hours during the COVID-19 pandemic when the shock attack happened.

Reizel says she was pushed aside and called a “c***” by a couple. She wrote:

Yesterday I was racially abused by a couple at the train station on my way to a night shift at the hospital.

A man elbowed my rib, intentionally pushing me to the side, the female partner then shouted racial abuse saying: 'at least we are whites you f***ing c***.'

Doctors, nurses and healthcare workers are literally risking their lives on the frontline with limited resources and yet some people feel the need to impose more hatred and fear.

Now she has appealed to others to not use the coronavirus outbreak as an “excuse for discrimination" and urged the public to “work together”. Understandably, the virus has been taking a huge emotional and physical toll on NHS staff.

The attack happened just after she got off her train to work. Soon after she exited the station, a couple came over and started shouting racist abuse at her.

Reizel said that over the last month she’s seen a rise in ignorant and hatred, but doesn’t want to put up with it any longer.

I feel like this virus is really testing humanity.

This is a time when everyone should come together. It shouldn’t be an excuse to create more segregation. I feel like this virus is really testing everyone, we all just need to work together and protect each other.

This isn’t the only racist incident to be linked to the coronavirus outbreak. The Mirror reports that filmmaker Lucy Sheen was on her way to rehearsals when a white male passenger whispered in her ear: "Why don't you f**k off back to China and take your filth with you."

And a student from Singapore posted shocking pictures of the injuries he suffered in a racism-fuelled “coronavirus attack”. Jonathan Mok was allegedly targeted by thugs in London who said "coronavirus" to him as he walked past and then beat him up when he stood up to them.

Since the pandemic emerged, Asian people have been reporting incidents of racism in person and on social media.