I've experienced two incidences. The first happened before there was a confirmed case in New York but obviously there was alot of media coverage about the situation abroad. I was alone and waiting in line to pick up my order of food at a place near my apartment, and I sneezed once into the bend of my elbow. Two women were waiting in front of me. One of them turned around and acknowledged my presence. The other turned around and said, "That's disgusting." The second happened when the situation in NYC began to escalate -- the week when people started to work from home. I had just gotten onto the 6 train, headed to work, and I was standing at the end of the car with my earbuds in. The train was still relatively crowded, but I was the only person in my vicinity who represented as Asian. Sitting down near me was an elderly couple who were wearing disposable gloves and masks. I noticed that the woman started to talk to me so I took off my earbuds.

After the first incident, I didn't say or do anything. During the second incident, I responded as minimally as possible until they left. I wish I had advocated for myself more in both situations.