False Claim : Wearing a mask to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is unnecessary because the disease can also be spread via farts.

• Debunk Date :

  07/29/2020

• Debunked By :

  snopes

The false claim is: "Wearing a mask to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is unnecessary because the disease can also be spread via farts." This is false. Despite overwhelming evidence that mask use slows the spread of COVID-19, there has been continuous pushback on social media from those who oppose wearing these potentially life-saving face coverings. In July 2020, we came across a strange, new argument in this ongoing debate, as seen in the meme above: There’s no point in wearing a mask because the fumes of a fart can penetrate through underwear and pants, including denim jeans. The meme is ambiguous but appears to be arguing at a minimum that 1.) since the odor of a fart can pass through denim, a deadly virus can penetrate through a cloth mask and/or 2.) that COVID-19 may be transmissible via a fart.

False Claim : Amish people are not contracting coronavirus because they don't have televisions.

• Debunk Date :

  07/24/2020

• Debunked By :

  truthorfiction

The false claim is: "Amish people are not contracting coronavirus because they don't have televisions." This is not true. In July 2020, a number of Facebook memes circulated riffing on the same theme — that Amish people in the United States were not developing COVID-19, because they “don’t have television sets.” TruthOrFiction observed this claim spreading in the form of a variety of memes, typically either outright stating the claim, or depicting two apparently Amish people purportedly discussing a lack of televisions and coronavirus in their communities. A number of Facebook memes claimed that Amish people did not contract coronavirus or develop COVID-19, because “they don’t have televisions” or the internet. The claim was doubly false, as Amish communities experienced outbreaks of COVID-19. The second claim about a lack of televisions and a lack of knowledge of the pandemic was rooted in several misconceptions about Amish people, not to mention televisions. Amish leaders were kept abreast of the pandemic in its early stages, Amish people do use (but often don’t own) devices like cell phones, Amish people read the news, and Amish people practiced social distancing on state recommendations to avert the spread of the virus.

False Claim : The Federal Emergency Management Agency is providing $4,800 in hazard pay to those who have been working during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Debunk Date :

  07/30/2020

• Debunked By :

  snopes

The false claim is: "The Federal Emergency Management Agency is providing $4,800 in hazard pay to those who have been working during the COVID-19 pandemic." This is false. In July 2020, a message started circulating on Facebook that claimed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was providing $4,800 in hazard pay to those who have been working during the COVID-19 pandemic. These posts typically included a brief piece of text followed by a hyperlink . While reading this message may give the impression that FEMA is offering hazard pay to workers due to the COVID-19 pandemic, those who clicked on the link were quickly made aware that this post was just a joke. The link in the above-displayed message, for instance, does not direct readers to a page on the official FEMA website about hazard pay. Rather, this link directs readers to an image of a gorilla who appears to be holding up its middle finger. A similar hoax meme claims the amount is $1,000.

Tip : Contact tracing will not cost money. Avoid giving personal bank account information over the phone or buying gift cards to pay scam artists for fake contact tracing attempts.

• Published :

  07/29/2020

• Source :

  AG Office

Tip : Avoid clicking on links in emails and text messages unless you signed up to receive the messages.

• Published :

  07/29/2020

• Source :

  AG Office

Tip : If you receive an unsolicited email or text message from a potential contact tracer, verify its authenticity by contacting the Arkansas Department of Health at ADH.CoronaVirus@arkansas.gov or call (800) 803-7847.

• Published :

  07/29/2020

• Source :

  AG Office