Czech uproar as Vietnamese restaurant bans Chinese guests

• The notice was put up for a few hours and no Chinese guests turned up during that time.
• Czech hospitals have tested 53 people for the deadly coronavirus spreading from China, with all being negative so far.

PRAGUE: A Vietnamese restaurant in Prague sparked uproar Thursday by banning Chinese guests due to "public health" concerns over the coronavirus.

"To protect public health, the restaurant will temporarily not accept Chinese customers," according to a notice pinned to the door and a photo of which was posted on a Facebook page called The Prague Geezer.

"Thank you for your understanding," said the note, which was written in English, Czech and Chinese.

When asked to comment by AFP, an employee of the restaurant in central Prague, who wished to remain anonymous, said they did not know why the notice had been put up.

According to Czech media, the notice was put up for a few hours and no Chinese guests turned up during that time.

The Facebook post sparked an avalanche of mostly negative reactions.

"Discrimination! We are human, not a virus. Stop prejudice," wrote one Chinese-born Prague resident, Lin Cheng, on his Facebook page.

Czech hospitals have tested 53 people for the deadly coronavirus spreading from China, with all being negative so far.