Recent rumors and news reports have circulated claiming that COVID-19 is
being spread intentionally in clandestine “covid parties.” In
mid-March, Kentucky governor Andy Beshear made national headlines when
he stated that part of the rise in coronavirus infections in his state
was due to parties in which people tried their best to get sick.
Covid parties, per se, are largely a media myth, but that doesn’t mean
that someone, somewhere, may not be doing it or could do it. The
question is not whether it’s possible, as all urban legends and rumors are inherently possible—and
at least plausible enough to share. Hours after a hapless expert
publicly avers that covid parties “don’t exist,” one could be arranged,
thus “proving” the expert wrong. But the essence of the rumor is instead
that clandestine covid parties are a Thing, being organized and sure to
soon menace public health. In that regard there’s no evidence
whatsoever of any covid parties.
There are more than enough real threats and dangers associated with
COVID-19; we don’t need to create new ones. Hoaxes, misinformation, and
rumors can cause real harm during public health emergencies; as always,
best inoculations against misinformation are critical thinking, media
literacy, and skepticism.
https://centerforinquiry.org/blog/the-truth-about-covid-parties/
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