Lives are being put at risk by conspiracy theories linking new 5G mobile phone masts to the coronavirus pandemic, Downing Street has warned.
The masts are vital for emergency services fighting the effects of the disease, No 10 said.
Over the weekend a number of mobile phone mast fires were being investigated as possible arson attacks amid claims circulating on social media that the masts are related to Covid-19.
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The No 10 warning came hours after it emerged that Boris Johnson had been admitted to hospital because of the disease.
Mr Johnson’s official spokesman described claims around 5G technology as a “crazed conspiracy theory”.
1/50 5 April 2020
A police officer advises a woman to go home after spotting her enjoying the sun in Primrose Hill, London
AP
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New Leader of the Labour Party Keir Starmer speaks on the announcement of his victory in the leadership race of the Labour Party
AFP via Getty
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Health Secretary Matt Hancock and NHS staff stand on marks on the ground, put in place to ensure social distancing guidelines are adhered to, at the opening of the NHS Nightingale Hospital at the ExCel centre in London, a temporary hospital with 4000 beds which has been set up for the treatment of Covid-19 patients. PA Photo. Picture date: Friday April 3, 2020. Split into more than 80 wards containing 42 beds each, the facility will be used to treat Covid-19 patients who have been transferred from other intensive care units across London.
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Llandudno Pier remains closed and deserted of tourists during the pandemic lockdown in Wales
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9/50 28 March 2020
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10/50 27 March 2020
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Commuters travel on the London underground during the Coronavirus pandemic
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People walk on the seafront after recent incidents of members of the public ignoring government advice on social distancing on in Hove
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A worker makes her way along rows of daffodils, removing any rogue varieties, at Taylors Bulbs in Holbeach, Lincolnshire. The fourth generation family company plant over 35 million bulbs every year, and have held The Royal Warrant as Bulb Growers to Her Majesty The Queen since 1985
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People taking part in the Million Women Rise march through central London, to demand an end to male violence against women and girls in all its forms
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Crew members take a selfie beside the cab of The Flying Scotswoman, the LNER Edinburgh to London rail service which has an all-female crew to celebrate International Women’s Day, before it departs Edinburgh Waverley station
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A poodle arrives for the first day of Crufts 2020 in Birmingham
Jason Skarratt/Flick.digital
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An Emergency Department Nurse during a demonstration of the Coronavirus pod and Covid-19 virus testing procedures set-up beside the Emergency Department of Antrim Area Hospital in Northern Ireland
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A pedestrian wears a protective facemask while taking a bus in Westminster, London, on the day that Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that the number of people diagnosed with coronavirus in the UK has risen to 51
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35/50 2 March 2020
An artist at Madame Tussauds in London fits the museum’s waxwork of Prime Minister Boris Johnson with a baby carrier, following the recent announcement that he is expecting a baby with partner Carrie Symonds
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36/50 1 March 2020
A man dressed as Dewi Sant leads the St David’s day parade in Cardiff, where hundreds of people march through the city in celebration of the patron saint of Wales. Dewi Sant (Saint David in English) was the Welsh bishop of Mynyw (now St Davids) during the 6th century
PA
37/50 29 February 2020
A home flooded after the River Aire burst its banks in East Cowick, East Yorkshire
Getty
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Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg takes part in a “Youth Strike 4 Climate” protest march in Bristol, south west England. “Activism works, so I ask you to act,” she said
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41/50 25 February 2020
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42/50 24 February 2020
A couple shelter from waves crashing over the promenade in Folkestone, Kent, as bad weather continues to cause problems across the country
PA
43/50 23 February 2020
Viking re-enactors during the Jorvik Viking Festival in York, recognised as the largest event of its kind in Europe
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Former Greek Finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, fashion designer Vivienne Westwood and editor in chief of WikiLeaks Kristinn Hrafnsonn attend a protest against the extradition of Julian Assange outside the Australian High Commission in London
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A worker recovers stranded vehicles from flood water on the A761 in Paisley, Scotland
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46/50 20 February 2020
Police officers outside Regents Park mosque in central London after a man was reportedly been stabbed in the neck. Footage from the scene showed a young white man in a red hooded top being led from the mosque by police
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47/50 19 February 2020
Floodwaters surround Upton upon Seven following Storm Dennis
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48/50 18 February 2020
Models on the catwalk during the Bobby Abley show at London Fashion Week
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49/50 17 February 2020
Rachel Cox inspecting flood damage in her kitchen in Nantgarw, south Wales, where residents are returning to their homes to survey and repair the damage in the aftermath of Storm Dennis
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50/50 16 February 2020
Teme Street in Tenbury Wells is seen under floodwater from the overflowing River Teme, after Storm Dennis caused flooding across large swathes of Britain
AFP via Getty
1/50 5 April 2020
A police officer advises a woman to go home after spotting her enjoying the sun in Primrose Hill, London
AP
2/50 4 March 2020
New Leader of the Labour Party Keir Starmer speaks on the announcement of his victory in the leadership race of the Labour Party
AFP via Getty
3/50 3 April 2020
Health Secretary Matt Hancock and NHS staff stand on marks on the ground, put in place to ensure social distancing guidelines are adhered to, at the opening of the NHS Nightingale Hospital at the ExCel centre in London, a temporary hospital with 4000 beds which has been set up for the treatment of Covid-19 patients. PA Photo. Picture date: Friday April 3, 2020. Split into more than 80 wards containing 42 beds each, the facility will be used to treat Covid-19 patients who have been transferred from other intensive care units across London.
PA
4/50 2 April 2020
A child at Westlands Primary School paints a poster in support of the NHS in Newcastle-under-Lyme
Reuters
5/50 1 April 2020
Staff wearing PPE of gloves and face masks, as a preactionary measure against Covid-19, disinfect an ambulance after it arrived with a patient at St Thomas’ Hospital in north London
AFP via Getty
6/50 31 March 2020
Llandudno Pier remains closed and deserted of tourists during the pandemic lockdown in Wales
Getty
7/50 30 March 2020
Waves break against the pier at Tynemouth, on the North East coast
PA
8/50 29 March 2020
Waves crash over a car on the seafront during windy conditions in Broadstairs, Kent
PA
9/50 28 March 2020
Derbyshire Police dye the “blue lagoon” in Harpur Hill, Buxton black, as gatherings there are “dangerous” and are “in contravention of the current instruction of the UK Government”
PA
10/50 27 March 2020
A road sign advising drivers to ‘stay home protect NHS saves lives’ is visible on the M80 near Banknock as the UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus
PA
11/50 26 March 2020
A postman wears a mask and gloves to deliver letters in Broadstairs, Kent, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson has put the UK in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. PA Photo. Picture date: Thursday March 26, 2020. The UK’s coronavirus death toll reached 463 on Wednesday.
PA
12/50 25 March 2020
Members of the public out exercising on Brighton beach at sunset
Getty
13/50 24 March 2020
Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas’ hospital
Getty
14/50 23 March 2020
Commuters travel on the London underground during the Coronavirus pandemic
Getty
15/50 22 March 2020
People walk on the seafront after recent incidents of members of the public ignoring government advice on social distancing on in Hove
Getty
16/50 21 March 2020
A general view of an empty Trafalgar Square in London. There have as of now been 3,983 diagnosed coronavirus cases in the UK and 177 deaths
Getty
17/50 20 March 2020
Swans swim on the banks of the River Severn in Worcester
PA
18/50 19 March 2020
A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow’s street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss
PA
19/50 18 March 2020
Students tend to Spring Lambs at Moreton Morrell College in Warwickshire
PA
20/50 17 March 2020
Caerphilly Castle in South Wales joins Tourism Ireland’s Global Greenings campaign to mark St Patrick’s Day
PA
21/50 16 March 2020
Shoppers form long queues ahead of the opening of a Costco wholesale store in Chingford
Getty
22/50 15 March 2020
Players sing songs in the changing room after their game of football at Hackney Marshes in London
Reuters
23/50 14 March 2020
Empty shelves in the laundry aisle of an Asda store in London
PA
24/50 13 March 2020
Runners and riders compete in the JCB Triumph Hurdle during day four of the Cheltenham Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse. Thousands of people attended where Gold Cup day amid great uncertainty as sports events up and down the United Kingdom are postponed and cancelled due to the Coronavirus outbreak
PA Images via Reuters Connect
25/50 12 March 2020
A worker makes her way along rows of daffodils, removing any rogue varieties, at Taylors Bulbs in Holbeach, Lincolnshire. The fourth generation family company plant over 35 million bulbs every year, and have held The Royal Warrant as Bulb Growers to Her Majesty The Queen since 1985
PA
26/50 11 March 2020
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak poses for pictures with the Budget Box outside 11 Downing Street ahead of Britain’s first post-Brexit budget
AFP/Getty
27/50 10 March 2020
A Tate Modern gallery assistant interacts with the ‘Silver Clouds’ installation, at a press view of major new Andy Warhol exhibition at Tate Modern, which features classic pop art pieces and works never shown before in the UK
PA
28/50 9 March 2020
The Sub Dean and Canon Paster of Southwark, Canon Michael Rawson, left, blesses the statue of Santa Barbara and workers on one of the sites of the Thames Tideway Tunnel in London. Santa Barbara is the patron saint of tunnellers and by tradition a statue and shrine to her is placed at tunnel portals and the entrance to long tunnel headings to keep workers safe while underground. The 16 mile-long Thames Tideway Tunnel will prevent tens of millions of tonnes of sewage and rainwater run-off entering the river every year
PA
29/50 8 March 2020
An Afghan Hound dog is prepared for show at the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre (NEC) during the final day of the Crufts Dog Show
PA
30/50 7 March 2020
People taking part in the Million Women Rise march through central London, to demand an end to male violence against women and girls in all its forms
PA
31/50 6 March 2020
Crew members take a selfie beside the cab of The Flying Scotswoman, the LNER Edinburgh to London rail service which has an all-female crew to celebrate International Women’s Day, before it departs Edinburgh Waverley station
PA
32/50 5 March 2020
A poodle arrives for the first day of Crufts 2020 in Birmingham
Jason Skarratt/Flick.digital
33/50 4 March 2020
An Emergency Department Nurse during a demonstration of the Coronavirus pod and Covid-19 virus testing procedures set-up beside the Emergency Department of Antrim Area Hospital in Northern Ireland
PA
34/50 3 March 2020
A pedestrian wears a protective facemask while taking a bus in Westminster, London, on the day that Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that the number of people diagnosed with coronavirus in the UK has risen to 51
PA
35/50 2 March 2020
An artist at Madame Tussauds in London fits the museum’s waxwork of Prime Minister Boris Johnson with a baby carrier, following the recent announcement that he is expecting a baby with partner Carrie Symonds
PA
36/50 1 March 2020
A man dressed as Dewi Sant leads the St David’s day parade in Cardiff, where hundreds of people march through the city in celebration of the patron saint of Wales. Dewi Sant (Saint David in English) was the Welsh bishop of Mynyw (now St Davids) during the 6th century
PA
37/50 29 February 2020
A home flooded after the River Aire burst its banks in East Cowick, East Yorkshire
Getty
38/50 28 February 2020
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg takes part in a “Youth Strike 4 Climate” protest march in Bristol, south west England. “Activism works, so I ask you to act,” she said
AFP/Getty
39/50 27 February 2020
Campaigners cheer outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London after they won a Court of Appeal challenge against controversial plans for a third runway at Heathrow
PA
40/50 26 February 2020
Temporary barriers have been overwhelmed by flood water in Bewdley, Shropshire
Getty
41/50 25 February 2020
Players take part in the Atherstone Ball Game in Warwickshire. The game honours a match played between Leicestershire and Warwickshire in 1199, when teams used a bag of gold as a ball, and which was won by Warwickshire
PA
42/50 24 February 2020
A couple shelter from waves crashing over the promenade in Folkestone, Kent, as bad weather continues to cause problems across the country
PA
43/50 23 February 2020
Viking re-enactors during the Jorvik Viking Festival in York, recognised as the largest event of its kind in Europe
PA
44/50 22 February 2020
Former Greek Finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, fashion designer Vivienne Westwood and editor in chief of WikiLeaks Kristinn Hrafnsonn attend a protest against the extradition of Julian Assange outside the Australian High Commission in London
Reuters
45/50 21 February 2020
A worker recovers stranded vehicles from flood water on the A761 in Paisley, Scotland
Getty
46/50 20 February 2020
Police officers outside Regents Park mosque in central London after a man was reportedly been stabbed in the neck. Footage from the scene showed a young white man in a red hooded top being led from the mosque by police
Reuters
47/50 19 February 2020
Floodwaters surround Upton upon Seven following Storm Dennis
Getty
48/50 18 February 2020
Models on the catwalk during the Bobby Abley show at London Fashion Week
PA
49/50 17 February 2020
Rachel Cox inspecting flood damage in her kitchen in Nantgarw, south Wales, where residents are returning to their homes to survey and repair the damage in the aftermath of Storm Dennis
PA
50/50 16 February 2020
Teme Street in Tenbury Wells is seen under floodwater from the overflowing River Teme, after Storm Dennis caused flooding across large swathes of Britain
AFP via Getty
He added: “By destroying these masts people are actually putting lives at risk, because these are masts which emergency responders rely upon.”
Oliver Dowden, the culture secretary, will warn social media companies to take a stronger line against those peddling the claims on their sites later this week.
Ofcom, the regulator, has already said it is monitoring broadcasters who spread the claim.
Meanwhile, scientists have condemned the idea of a link.
Dr Simon Clarke, associate professor in cellular microbiology at the University of Reading, said: “The idea that COVID19 is caused by 5G mobile phone signals is complete rubbish. This is a disease which numerous doctors and scientists around the world have said is caused by a virus, something completely different to a mobile phone signal.
“Viruses are tiny particles made up of genetic material, wrapped in a layer of proteins and fats. They have no metabolism and can’t reproduce without causing an infection. In the case of this coronavirus, it infects cells in human lungs in order to replicate, damaging them and also causing a harmful immune reaction in the process. 5G radio signals are electromagnetic waves, very similar to those already used by mobile phones. Electromagnetic waves are one thing, viruses are another, and you can’t get a virus off a phone mast.”
Professor Steve Powis, the national medical director of NHS England, condemned the theories as “the worst kind of fake news” during a press conference on Saturday.
He added: “I’m absolutely outraged, absolutely disgusted, that people would be taking action against the very infrastructure that we need to respond to this health emergency.
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“It is absolute and utter rubbish.”
Conspiracy theories about 5G masts abounded even before the emergence of Covid-19.
Last year ministers wrote to every local authority in England warning them applications for 5G technology should not be blocked over claims the masts posed a cancer risk.
Dozens of councils are understood to have been lobbied amid claims that 5G radio waves can increase rates of cancer, dementia, suicide, infertility and autism.
