Hundreds of Casey residents receive coronavirus conspiracy theory flyer
Hundreds of residents in Hampton Park and surrounds have received a disturbing coronavirus conspiracy theory pamphlet claiming the pandemic is a fraud, as dangerous online groups tell followers not to wear masks, reject tests and plan protests.
South East
Don't miss out on the headlines from South East . Followed categories will be added to My News.
Disturbing conspiracy theory pamphlets claiming coronavirus is a “fraud” have been dropped into hundreds of letterboxes in Casey.
The flyer is rife with theories, alleging governments, the World Health Organisation and the media are lying to the public, among other suggestions.
It also claims the coronavirus death statistics were “inflated”, suggesting people dying from causes such as cancer and heart attacks were being falsely reported as coronavirus deaths.
Dozens of Casey residents took to several social media pages expressing outrage about the flyers, saying they were “disturbing”.
On angry resident wrote on the Hampton Park and Surrounding Suburbs Community Group Facebook page: “People distributing fake information should be charged by police”.
Another wrote: “Wonder if the people who have died from COVID-19 think it's a fraud”.
University of Melbourne epidemiology expert Professor Tony Blakely said conspiracy theories were completely unjustified.
“There’s millions of cases occurring globally and the hundreds of thousands if not soon millions of deaths occurring from this virus,” Prof Blakely said.
“This is a time for listening to experts and it’s also incredibly apparent on television with bodies outside hospitals and morgues overflowing that this is real,” he said.
It comes as dozens of conspiracy theory Facebook groups have emerged in recent months telling its tens of thousands of online followers the deadly virus was just a cover for the global elite to consolidate their control over the masses.
The groups tell its followers not to wear masks, reject coronavirus tests and plans protests.
A Department of Health and Human Services spokesman said coronavirus was an incredibly infectious disease that has killed hundreds of thousands of people all over the world, including 39 Victorians.
“Any suggestion otherwise is an insult to the remarkable Victorians working around the clock to control the spread of the virus and care for those infected,” the spokesman said.
“The spreading of misinformation is particularly dangerous at a time when we are trying to slow the spread of a spike in coronavirus cases and particularly focusing on engaging CALD communities, who may be less connected to mainstream media,” he said.
The spokesman said the department urged all Victorians to use trusted government sources for advice about coronavirus.
“The department is providing information in 53 languages alongside a dedicated hotline for any queries on virus symptoms and testing,” he said.
Casey chairperson Noelene Duff said there was a lot of misinformation about coronavirus.
“Residents are advised to only refer to trusted information sources, such as the Department of Health and Human Services or other Federal Government sources,” Ms Duff said.
“Those in the Casey community can also refer to the City of Casey’s website and social media channels for the latest on council services and related COVID-19 information,” she said.
MORE NEWS
WHEELERS HILL: WHY LOCALS HAVE FOND MEMORIES OF THE SUBURB
MERINDA PARK TRAIN STATION SET TO BE REVAMPED