Chinatown businesses experience decrease in customers amid coronavirus fears

PHILADELPHIA - Restaurants in Chinatown are experiencing a decrease in customers amid coronavirus fears.

These days dinner rush at Philly Poké in Chinatown is noticeably slow. The reason is not what’s on the menu, but what’s in the news.

"Right now, you can definitely tell there is less traffic around here even on the weekends when it’s supposed to be busy," owner Andrew Hu told FOX 29.

Hu says he’s not alone. Chinatown businesses, especially restaurants seeing a significant slowdown.

FOX 29's Chris O'Connell sat down for dinner at the Canto House where the talk around the restaurant is was the Chinatown slowdown.

"We are hoping it doesn’t last too long but every day you hear bad news globally," Hu said.

The CDC is warning Americans to be prepared for more cases and "significant disruptions" to their lives, which could mean closed schools, working from home, and if you get sick you may need to Skype a doctor. The crisis is also affecting your 401k. Coronavirus fears rattling Wall Street causing the worst two-day slide in Dow Jones history.

Local hospitals have also started preparing. Emergency planners for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia were at Chestnut Hill College explaining how an infectious disease plan they’ve been working on for years is being put to real-life use.

"So if you say, "yes, I’ve been to mainland China in the last 14 days, and yes, I have been experiencing cough, runny nose, then you are going to be someone okay give you a mask and immediately isolate you," CHOP's emergency preparedness planner Emma Paras said.

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