Police have launched an investigation into a racist email that was sent to a Canterbury woman regarding the coronavirus.
A screenshot of the email was shared by a Reddit user to the Aotearoa/New Zealand Reddit page today.
The email was sent to the Reddit user's sister who lives in Rolleston from an address named "Protect Rolleston".
The email said: "Please let your kids stay at home as you Asians are virus spreaders! Our Kiwi kids dont want to be in the same class with your disgusting virus spreaders!"
The woman responded: "We are not all virus spreaders. We’re all just as worried and scared as you are."
A police spokesperson says they received a report yesterday about the email which had been sent to someone in the Rolleston area.
"We have made contact with the person reporting the matter to provide advice, and inquiries are being undertaken to identify the source of the email," says the spokesperson.
"Unlawful, abusive or threatening behaviour targeting another person or group in relation to coronavirus will not be tolerated."
The police spokesperson said any reports of racism, xenophobia, or people being targeted for any health reasons will be taken seriously and investigated.
More than 300 people have now died from coronavirus that orginated in Wuhan, China, and 14,000 infected cases have been reported as it continues to spread. There are no confirmed cases of the virus in New Zealand.
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