Public health experts are overwhelmed by the spread of the coronavirus outbreak in the state of New York, perplexed as to why the situation in the Empire State is seemingly so much worse than the rest of the country.

“Part of it is the spread that may have happened on metal surfaces, like in the subway and people that were in the subway,” speculated Dr. Deborah Birx, who is leading the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic.

However, the dangerous rhetoric of Democrat politicians before the crisis – more concerned about protecting Chinese feelings from virus-inspired “racism” than anything else – may have been a significant factor in exacerbating the needless spread of coronavirus in New York.

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Democrats in New York City rallied behind the city’s Chinese community and urged them to have their annual Chinese New Year celebration earlier this year. When New Yorkers should have been practicing social distancing, they were instead encouraged to cluster closely together with possible carriers of the virus by Democrat politicians.

New York City Health Commissioner Oxiris Barbot urged New Yorkers to celebrate the Chinese new year in Chinatown, urging city residents to ignore “misinformation” about coronavirus in order to attend. This was from Feb. 9, when coronavirus was already a global pandemic killing thousands:

Today our city is celebrating the #LunarNewYear parade in Chinatown, a beautiful cultural tradition with a rich history in our city. I want to remind everyone to enjoy the parade and not change any plans due to misinformation spreading about #coronavirus. https://t.co/bwCnIb7j8H

— Commissioner Oxiris Barbot (@NYCHealthCommr) February 9, 2020

“We have no confirmed cases in New York and we want people to know Chinatown is open and as vibrant as ever,” New York state Senator Brian Kavanagh said in February. The Democrat politician would go on to eat those words.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio told the public to essentially ignore the public health crisis on Mar. 2, when there were already deaths reported in the city due to coronavirus.

Since I’m encouraging New Yorkers to go on with your lives + get out on the town despite Coronavirus, I thought I would offer some suggestions. Here’s the first: thru Thurs 3/5 go see “The Traitor” @FilmLinc. If “The Wire” was a true story + set in Italy, it would be this film.

— Bill de Blasio (@BilldeBlasio) March 3, 2020

Democrat officials in New York are still more concerned about fighting racism than they are protecting the public from coronavirus. New York Attorney General Letitia James created a hotline this week that snowflakes can call to report their hurt feelings during the coronavirus pandemic.

“No one should live in fear for their life because of who they are, what they look like, or where they come from,” James said. “I encourage all victims of discriminatory actions stemming from this pandemic to contact my office. We will continue to work with local law enforcement to combat hate in all its insidious forms.”

During a time in which violent criminals are being let out on the streets due to lack of law enforcement resources, the state of New York devotes precious time and energy toward policing “racist” wrong-think during an unprecedented pandemic. The fruits of diversity and multiculturalism are on full display in virus-ravaged New York.