Former MasterChef winner Diana Chan urges people to support Chinese restaurants after coronavirus

Former MasterChef winner Diana Chan has urged people to throw their support behind Chinese restaurants in the wake of the coronavirus.

In an interview with Huffington Post on Tuesday, the 32-year-old cook argued that ‘viruses are not discriminatory to a race’.   

‘If you were going to catch it, you could catch it anywhere,’ she told the publication. 

‘It’s not necessarily in a Chinese restaurant and confined spaces. It can happen anywhere. It shouldn’t stop you going about your daily lives.’ 

Her statements come after it was revealed many Chinese restaurants are struggling following the spread of the coronavirus in recent months.

Many people have been afraid to eat at Chinese restaurants after the emergence of the coronavirus in a food market in China’s Wuhan in December.

Chinese restaurants in Australia have reported a sharp decline in patronage, while some have been forced to shutter their doors.

A social media campaign, #IWillEatWithYou, has even started trending online, encouraging people to visit their local Asian restaurants.

And Diana isn’t the only prominent foodie getting behind the cause, with new MasterChef judge Melissa Leong penning an editorial for SBS.

The 39-year-old spoke about the effect the coronavirus had had on local businesses, revealing: ‘Eat streets that were once packed have become ghost towns.’

‘The vibe is dire, with business owners and members of the public claiming customers are slowing to a trickle as some doors close, while others are simply putting their businesses on pause to wait out the current storm,’ she wrote.

‘In the long run, I can’t help but wonder how this will impact our food culture at large.’