The Chinatown BID and elected officials are urging residents to support Chinatown businesses, which are taking a hit because of the threat of the coronavirus. Gale Brewer’s staff will host a lunch crawl today, hitting Nom Wah Tea Parlor for dim sum, Mei Lai Wah for pork buns, and Bo Ky for a sit-down lunch, and the BID is asking neighbors to “Show some love” for Valentine’s Day. Businesses in Chinatown say they are seeing a 50 percent drop in sales, despite the fact that there are still no cases reported here.

I happened to have lunch with the Nieporent brothers at Tribeca Grill yesterday (more on that later, since it’s their 30th anniversary!) and they said they, too, are feeling the effects of the decreased business coming from Chinese tourists — as are businesses citywide. (British tourists represent the largest group of foreign visitors in the city, but the Chinese are #2.)

The Trib has a feature on Dr. Perry Pong, whose work at the Charles B. Wang Community Health Center on Canal puts him on the front lines: “Knock wood, so far so good.” And The Times explores how Chinatowns across the world are feeling the same effects.

The city is updating the status of local cases at this site daily if you need some reassurance.