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Last week it was the coronavirus denialists who believe that the virus doesn’t exist and/or is not a threat.
This week it’s the conspiracy theorists. They believe that COVID-19 exists, but have some interesting theories as to what, or who, is causing it.
Linking the pandemic to 5G, the fifth-generation technology standard for cellular networks that began deploying around the world in 2019, is a common theme. So much so, that the NSW health department has begun a campaign to debunk some of the comments around 5G that are being made on social media.
“COVID-19 does not spread via mobile networks or wireless technology. COVID-19 is spread through contaminated droplets by coughing or sneezing, or by contact with contaminated hands, surfaces or objects,” NSW Health said in a tweet on Monday, 11 May. “Viruses do not travel via mobile networks. Preventing COVID-19 is not as easy as turning off your Wi-Fi.” You can view the tweet here:
A small protest in Melbourne at the weekend saw a number of anti-5G protestors teaming up with others promoting a variety of different conspiracy theories. You can see a protestor and placard here:
One of the anti-5G theories is that the COVID-19 outbreak at the Cedar Meats plant in Melbourne is somehow linked to a nearby phone tower, Guardian Australia reported.
According to Brendan Murphy, the chief medical officer of Australia, linking the two is “silly misinformation” and “complete nonsense”.
“There is absolutely no evidence about 5G doing anything in the coronavirus space,” he said recently. “I have unfortunately received a lot of communication from these conspiracy theorists myself. It is complete nonsense – 5G has got nothing at all to do with coronavirus.”
The name of Microsoft founder Bill Gates has also come to the fore among conspiracy theorists.
They believe that Gates, apart from previously warning about the dangers of a coronavirus-like pandemic, stands to gain financially from selling a vaccine that he has supposedly developed. More than that, they think he will use the opportunity to inject trackers into everyone’s bodies.
Another theory is that this is all part of a plot by ‘deep state’ agents to take over the world and establish a new world order. In other words, a kind of global coup that takes over the entire world rather than just a specific country.
This theory is very strongly linked to right-wingers in the US, who believe that much of the opposition to president Donald Trump’s handling of the pandemic comes from people who are part of this mysterious plot, which is intended to get Trump out of office.
Pete Evans, the Australian celebrity chef and now former host of the TV show My Kitchen Rules, seems to be one of those who believe there is a government conspiracy at play. In an Instagram post on Tuesday, 11 May he talked about, for example, people who are ‘self-quarantined’ actually being under house arrest and guarded by federal agents or ankle bracelets.
This is what he posted: