In all of the hysteria of COVID-19, people have begun to take drastic measures: burning down 5G cell towers. There have been more than 50 fires set to destroy the cell towers in Britain due to conspiracy that 5G towers are responsible for the virus. Occurrences like these have been common all across Europe in recent weeks in the Netherlands, Cyprus, Belgium, and Ireland. 

5G cell towers are no stranger to accusations like these. The cell towers have been blamed for causing cancer since their creation. Now however, they are subject to rumors that their radio waves are responsible for spreading the virus leading to the rise in COVID-19 cases. . 

Misinformation is solely to blame for this outrageous theory and is exemplary of how far “fake news” spreads in times like these. 

This conspiracy is supported by almost no evidence at all. As stated by the World Health Organization (WHO), the virus spreads through droplets passed by close contact with an infected person. These towers, however, emit electromagnetic waves not droplets. This fact alone almost debunks the entire theory. Though it is true that viruses can survive separately from the infected person, the radio waves would not be able to transfer the virus to another person.  These waves completely lack the power to damage cells. “But there’s no evidence that wireless communications – whether 5G or earlier versions – harm the immune system” said Myrtill Simko, the scientific director of SciProof, who has spent his career researching matter. 

The smartest way to avoid buying into these theories is researching claims like these. Making sure that information is credible is a big step in stopping the perpetuation of conspiracies regarding COVID-19. Cell Phone towers are important, they don’t need to be burned down because of false information and conspiracies.