Visitors write down words in support of China's fight against the novel coronavirus at the annual Los Angeles Travel & Adventure Show in Los Angeles, the United States, Feb. 15, 2020. (Xinhua/Qian Weizhong)
A number of U.S. schools and universities have expressed strong support for their Chinese communities and vowed to stand together in the fight against COVID-19.
"In this time of high anxiety, we have witnessed the incredible resilience of the Chinese people," said Pradeep Khosla, chancellor of the University of California, San Diego.
"To the people of Hubei and other provinces bravely fighting the virus on behalf of the world community, we offer our support," Khosla said in a video message to the Chinese community at the university.
Epidemics like this remind us how vital it is to have international cooperation in science and public health, he said.
Perry Martin, president of Maryknoll School in Hawaii, said, "The events in China related to the coronavirus have given us a pause for just how much we appreciate and care for our friendship with you and the level of concern that we have for you during this difficult time."
"Hope and pray that you remain strong and healthy during this crisis," he added.
"Very soon our students will see the dedicated work of China's leadership along with world support, in the elimination of this virus," Martin said in a video message.
Michael Crow, president of Arizona State University, said thousands of Chinese students and their families are part of the campus. "Things are going well. The semester is off to a great start, and our students are thriving."
"We have had one confirmed case of the virus, and that case is a mild outcome," Crow said in a video message to the Chinese community. "We're in good shape relative to where we're going, moving forward and moving ahead."
"We're looking at all kinds of services that we might have that can be available to you. Also, if you're in China and you need learning assets, because you're interrupted somehow, let us know, and we'll try to make those available to you," he added.
Douglas Haynes, vice-chancellor for equity, diversity, and inclusion at the University of California, Irvine, said that Chinese and Chinese-American communities have felt the impact of both unintentional and intentional biases and discrimination since the novel coronavirus outbreak.
"It is all of our individual responsibility to help shift this sentiment against a group of people and engage in dialogue based on accurate information about the coronavirus and reject stereotypes and prejudice, whether online or in public," he said in an open letter.
