I've noticed a lot of posts about coronavirus-related racism on here today, so I thought I might vent about something that's been cheesing me off for a few weeks now.

Apparently, word on the (local) streets for a while now has been that my workplace presents a risk to the community, because it's "full of Asians".

Yes, we have a lot of migrant workers - Asian, Islander, and others. But what some people can't seem to grasp is that the increased risk lies in people who have *recently travelled* overseas, not people *from* overseas. They weren't born with it, you numpties.

These people have been with us since October, and a lot of them were working on the mainland before that. They are no more or less of a risk than you or I am. I just want to put this out there - I'm not scared OF migrant workers, I'm scared FOR them.

For the past few months, migrant workers all over Oz have watched as their home countries were ravaged by the virus, afraid for their families, then many had to make the terrifying decision to leave the comparative safety of Australia and fly straight into that

Others didn't get to make that decision - their home countries closed their borders, trapping them in Australia, *indefinitely*, continents away from their kids and spouses and parents

As someone with 5000kms and three closed state borders (including a moat!) between me and my own kids, my heart aches for those people.

BTW the Pacific Islanders amongst them are not only watching helplessly as the virus hits their countries. A hurricane also just tore a bunch of their islands apart

And on top of all that, like the rest of us, migrant workers have to stress about potentially losing their jobs if their current employers are shut down, but *unlike* the rest of us, they have the added panic of NO govt financial safety net to catch them when they fall

So I guess what I wanted to say (aside from, you know, DON'T BE A RACIST DICK), is just have a bit of compassion, ok? These people are going through hell right now and they don't need some frightened arsehole at the supermarket who's looking for someone to blame, making it worse.