Conspiracy theories around the rolling out of 5G networks have hit the internet, including South Africans.
Videos have been shared all over social media that 5G could be harmful and might even have caused the COVID-19 Coronavirus.
A South African on Facebook has called on “South Africans cut down the 5G Cell Towers & SAVE LIVES – Join an underground movement & cut the Towers down – NOW”
Another South African even called on Julius Malema. According to this Facebook user, President Ramaphosa put the country on lockdown to roll out the 5G network in the country. According to the Facebook user, 5G will kill millions of South Africans with radiation and control many South Africans with facial recognition. Apparently the vaccine for COVID-19 will contain a microchip according to the Facebook user.
Now, Let’s look at the facts
According to the BBC, Dr. Simon Clarke, associate professor in cellular microbiology at the University of Reading, says that these theories are “complete rubbish.”
See below a chart of where 5G fits in the electromagnetic spectrum:
The British government has called the claim of a dangerous virus spreading 5G network rubbish. The government says that it’s the worse kind of fake news. Mobile phone networks are critical during this time as health workers use it the British government says.
In actual fact, 5G was already used in a positive way during the global epidemic. 5G networks are being used to do remote CT scans on active COVID-19 cases.
The whole conspiracy started to steamroll when an American doctor falsely claimed that the first active 5G network was in Wuhan, China.
Dr. Jen Caudle is just one of the doctors debunking the conspiracy theory that COVID-19 is human-made or by the 5G network.
