North Coast townships hit by fake news say no to Covid-19 tests

Fake claims that Covid-19 swabs used to test for the virus are contaminated, has resulted in resistance to the government’s testing programme on the North Coast.

KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala has emphatically denied the claims and questioned the sanity of people who believed them.

As the health department attempts to ramp up screening and testing measures across the country, fake news doing the rounds in local townships has been hampering efforts to curb the spread of the illness.

Health workers told the Courier they had experienced some difficulties, as a number of people refused to be tested and others were ignoring the warning signs that they might be infected.

According to field nurses, the misinformation about coronavirus was being circulated on WhatsApp.

While the government now considers the spread of fake news about coronavirus an offence punishable by a fine, six months’ imprisonment, or both, this has not deterred misinformation from spreading like wildfire in densely populated communities already fearful of the pandemic.

A number of Shaka’s Head residents said they believed the hoax and said they would refuse to get tested because this was a “tactic to spread the virus into the township communities”.

“Have you ever seen the president wearing a mask or sanitising? They are just telling us lies so we can sanitise and get infected,” said one resident who asked not to be named.

Another 17-year-old Etete resident claimed the swabs were infected with the coronavirus and he too believed they were being used to spread the virus.

“If the health workers come here we will run away,” he told the Courier.

He also said they would not accept sanitiser or face masks as they were also contaminated with the coronavirus.

ANC ward councillor Mlamli Ndlela said he was aware of the false stories regarding the testing but that it was difficult to educate people.

KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala slammed the hoaxes and said derailing such an important, safe and scientifically-proven method to fight the scourge of Covid-19 was tantamount to treason.

“We were dismayed about a number of unfounded and dangerous claims about this programme before it even started. Some of these false claims were to the effect that the home screening and testing programme was being done to actually infect our people with Covid-19,” he said at the launch of the province’s mass screening and testing programme last Thursday.

“This is outrageous behaviour, which smacks of irresponsibility, and calls into serious question people’s level of sanity. We call on our communities not to be swayed by such agent provocateurs, and instead welcome these teams into their homes so that the programme can be a success,” said Zikalala.

* Notice: Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news

Dear reader,

As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments.

As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed.

Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol.

A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19.

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