New York's Chinatown pulls together to brighten the Covid darkness

The pandemic has devastated Manhattan’s Chinatown, but the community is uniting to support restaurant owners and make the upcoming Lunar New Year as festive as is safely possible

Last spring, Patrick Mock, the manager of 46 Mott Bakery, stepped out of his shop and into darkness. Mott Street, in the middle of Manhattan’s Chinatown, would normally have been bustling: from the bars on Doyers Street to restaurants such as Wo Hop, a Cantonese stalwart opened in 1938. However, racism towards Asian Americans – driven by unfounded coronavirus fears – had devastated local businesses. Even the normally raucous Lunar New Year celebrations had seen less than half the usual crowds.

Related: ‘People are scared’: New York City’s Chinatown takes hit over coronavirus fears