A screenshot of a tweet making false claims about the creation of mandatory COVID-19 isolation camps in England is being repeatedly shared across social media.
The original tweet, from Nov. 7 (here), comes from an account using the name and picture of Klaus Schwab, the founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum (WEF) (here). It says: “The people of Liverpool have embraced mass testing in the fight against #COVID19 assisted by the @BritishArmy. Mayor Anderson is preparing to announce mandatory Covid Isolation Camps that will be patrolled by the army to prevent further viral outbreaks.”
Accompanying the tweet is a picture showing an airport departures hall filled with empty beds. Two women are seen tending to the beds.
This tweet has since been screenshotted and shared across numerous Facebook accounts (here, here, here, here, here, here), and appears to have worried some users. “So here's what's coming folks, seems like concentration camps to me,” wrote one, while another added: “ think this is humane....normal......right????? At what point are people going to say NO to the ABUSE??????”
Firstly, it is true to say the British Army has been assisting with mass COVID-19 testing in Liverpool (here). however, the claim about “mandatory COVID isolation camps” is not true.
Reuters was unable to find any evidence of such a plan being rolled out.
Liverpool City Council also confirmed to Reuters that such a plan was not in motion, saying that anyone self-isolating should do so at home, and adding that the army was only assisting with the testing campaign.
The Twitter account from which the tweet was originally posted is also not authentic. It is a parody account of the World Economic Forum founder and has tweeted a number satirical posts in the past, including ones saying “xmas will be officially banned this year” (here), and others which assert “super-spreading” of COVID-19 is “tantamount to murder” (here). The real Klaus Schwab does not have a Twitter account.
The picture used in the tweet is also not a photo taken in Liverpool. It shows a temporary quarantine facility in an airport lounge in Kolkata, India, and was captured by a Reuters photographer (here).
VERDICT
False. There have been no plans revealed for mandatory isolation camps in Liverpool that would be manned by the armed forces. The claim was made by a parody account of the WEF’s founder that has posted other satirical comments in the past.
Read more about our work to fact-check social media posts here .
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.