Once again 5G and coronavirus combine in latest conspiracy theory

One of the strangest stories of the year integrates two of the biggest stories of the year: 5G and coronavirus. It was back in April when we told you that actor Woody Harrelson had posted on his Instagram page a report written by Professor Martin Pall from Washington State University. Professor Pall's paper concluded that 5G towers in Wuhan, China were responsible for "the viral replication or the spread or lethality of the disease (coronavirus)."

Wuhan was the first smart city in China, notes Pall, with the number of 5G base stations operating in the city rising from 31 at the end of 2018 to over 10,000 a year later. The professor said that the severity of the spread grew as the number of 5G towers in Wuhan increased. This theory led to violent attacks against 5G towers by vandals in China and the U.K. Interestingly, while Harrelson helped spread the conspiracy theory, the truth is that the actor admitted that he never vetted Pall's report.

This weekend, the latest 5G conspiracy theory started making the rounds. These reports claim that the piece of metal found inside surgical masks are 5G antennas. As noted by Forbes, the fear is that these "antennas" are being used to track people using 5G signals or they are being used to make people sick. As most people know, the reason for the bendable metal strip is to make the mask fit tighter over the bridge of the nose so that the mask doesn't leave a gap every time the wearer exhales.

Current surgical face masks have been around in their current form since the 1970s well before the smartphone ever entered our lives. The metal strip was inside masks back then so we can assure you that it has nothing to do with 5G signals. If you want to know how these rumors get spread and who is spreading it, Georgia's WMAZ shares a video of a woman cutting open a surgical mask to reveal the metal strip inside. She calls it a 5G wire (or something along those lines; it is inaudible at that moment) and says that it goes right to your brain. Is that true? Absolutely not. Don't use these ridiculous conspiracy theories as an excuse not to wear a mask or to take advantage of faster 5G connectivity.