Council reassures parents after Covid-19 hoax

Bridgend County Borough Council has been made aware of a hoax social media post regarding a false ‘Covid Act’ which supposedly allows school children to be removed from families so they can be tested for coronavirus.

Parents, carers and guardians can be reassured that the claims in the post are not true, and that no legislation has been passed to test or detain school children if they show symptoms of Covid-19.

The post details a fake conversation between a headteacher and a parent and states that under the non-existent ‘Covid Act’, the school has the power to remove, test and detain children without parental or guardian consent.

While this is entirely false, the hoax post has already been shared by large numbers of people.

With all the good work that is taking place to combat the spread of coronavirus, stupid and ill-thought-out pranks like this only serve to spread fear and misinformation.

This just goes to prove that not everything you read or see on social media is true, so please remain vigilant and think twice before sharing information.

You can keep up to date with latest developments on the local fight against the coronavirus by following the council’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

Council Leader Huw David