Vancouver protesters call coronavirus fake news and say distancing rule should be defied, appalling health authorities
- British Columbia health minister Adrian Dix says ‘self-promoters’ with ‘marginal views’ are trying to exploit suffering amid pandemic
- Images on social media show about 15 people taking part in rally despite ban on people belonging to different households mingling
Authorities in British Columbia have decried a Vancouver protest that depicted Covid-19 as “fake news” and called for the defiance of physical distancing rules, with the provincial health minister blasting “self-promoters” for exploiting the suffering of others.
Social media photos and videos showed about 15 people taking part in Sunday’s protest, gathering at City Hall in spite of provincial health orders banning people from different households mingling closer than two metres apart. The protesters then walked towards downtown Vancouver.
The protesters called for people to defy the physical distancing rules and sought the lifting of the so-called “lockdown” in BC, where residents have been advised to stay at home to curtail the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Similar rules are in place across Canada, with restaurants and many businesses ordered to shut, and schools and other institutions closed or curtailing activities.
Without specifically identifying Sunday’s protest, provincial health officer Dr Bonnie Henry on Monday said that page views on videos depicting “people breaking the rules” may simply reflect concern from viewers. “I get a lot of emails about it,” she said.