Still need to state obvious, mayor says of pandemic posts

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This article was published 12/01/2022 (1366 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman never thought he would have to tell people not to ingest urine, bleach or horse medicine. That’s what happens when disinformation explodes during a pandemic.

As the COVID-19 pandemic nears its third year, elected officials like Bowman are still fighting false or dangerous claims made by conspiracy theorists or anti-vaxxers.

In one of the mayor’s latest tweets, he took aim at bogus COVID-19 treatments or cures that continue to be promoted by vaccine skeptics.

“Please do not: drink urine, consume bleach, ingest horse medicine,” Bowman wrote to his 73,000 Twitter followers Wednesday. “Please: get vaccinated! Limit your contacts, wash hands, wear a mask, watch distance.”

It sounds like common sense, but the number of Twitter users who challenged him shows there’s still a need to state the obvious, he told the Free Press.

Bowman decided to post the tweet after seeing online chatter about unauthorized or discredited COVID-19 infection therapies.

“Having to recommend to people not to take horse medicine or consume bleach or urine is absurd,” he said, “but it is also absurd not to follow the advice of health professionals.

“I was just providing factual information. As you can see, there are people who believe these are things that can prevent COVID. There are people in our community and online who don’t agree with the advice of getting vaccinated.”

Bowman has received online threats while sharing official Canadian public health guidance and encouraging people to get their shots, but he remains undeterred. Some of those threats have been forwarded to the police, he said.

Morden Mayor Brandon Burley has faced similar vitriol and threats, after speaking out against Manitobans who refuse to get vaccinated or flout public health orders.

There are times, Burley said, he wishes social media didn’t exist — given how some are using it to spread false information and dupe others in a time of crisis.

“It has impaired our response more than it has helped it,” he said.

Like Bowman, Burley has occasionally used humour or sarcasm to debunk or highlight claims that aren’t true.

“Some people don’t expect humour from elected officials, but that is what is needed to make sure people understand the irony and, often, the absurdity of the practices they are engaging in,” he said.

“It’s insane we’re in a position where people would rather drink their own urine rather than trust a scientist.”

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @chriskitching