Telstra’s hilarious 5G coronavirus Facebook post takes on the trolls

Telstra is the regular target of a lot of (warranted) criticism but this time they have got it 100 per cent right.

The telecommunications giant’s rollout of its 5G network means it has been caught up in a conspiracy theory involving the new technology and coronavirus.

Misinformed people both here and overseas have been claiming 5G waves are the cause of the deadly virus that has killed 100 people in Australia.

A screenshot that went viral appeared to show a Telstra social media staffer offering the perfect comeback to one of these conspiracy theorists.

Responding to a comment that 5G towers are “WEAPONS THAT CAUSED COVID” a reply from Telstra purported to say “ The 5G towers will help you download your conspiracy videos faster.”

Sadly, the screenshot was a fake but the official Telstra Facebook account has since shared it with the company’s wholehearted agreement.

“This isn’t real, but we wish it was. So we're sharing it now,” the post read.

The Federal Government has been forced to remind people claims linking coronavirus and 5G are bogus and tampering with telecommunications towers is a criminal offence.

“Any suggestions that there is a link between 5G and coronavirus are utterly baseless,” Communications Minister Paul Fletcher said on Tuesday.

“There is no evidence that the use of these radio waves in mobile networks is harmful to health or related to the current health pandemic.”

A new Essential poll has revealed the proportion of people who believe coronavirus conspiracy theories.

One-in-five people believe the media and government are exaggerating the death toll to scare the population.

Two-in-five think the virus was engineered and released from a lab in the Chinese city of Wuhan, which the prime minister has repeatedly said there is no evidence to support.

The same proportion of people rejected the theory, while a quarter are unsure.

An overwhelming majority of respondents (77 per cent) said the outbreak in China was much worse than reported in official statistics from Beijing.

The survey of 1073 people follows small protests across Australia led by 5G-conspiracy theorists and anti-vaxxers.

With AAP