In a bid to address growing rumors blaming 5G trials for the second coronavirus surge in India, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has issued a press note asserting that there is no link.

"The claims linking the 5G technology with the COVID-19 pandemic are false and have no scientific basis. Moreover, it is informed that the testing of the 5G network has not yet started anywhere in India," says the press note issued by the DoT. "Hence, the claim that 5G trials or networks are causing coronavirus in India is baseless and false."

Figure 1: Strict quarantine: India has been devastated by the current surge in cases of COVID-19. (Source: Govind Krishnan on Unsplash)

The statement goes on to list the initiatives taken by DoT to ensure that the cell tower radiation is not above the prescribed limit.

This press note responds to several messages on social media blaming 5G technology for the spread of coronavirus in India. The country is facing a massive surge in coronavirus cases and casualties, with more than 200,000 deaths and 20 million cases so far.

Earlier this month, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), an industry body, had also issued a press statement to address the false narrative around 5G.

What goes around

This issue has come up in other countries as well. Even before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were various conspiracy theories about the harmful effects of 5G on health.

One is that 5G damaged the cellular defenses of the population in Wuhan in China, which put them at a higher risk of coronavirus. Wuhan is thought to be ground zero for the pandemic, first detected there in 2019. There is no scientific basis for these claims.

In the United Kingdom, 5G-related conspiracy theories led to the burning of phone masts in 2020. Other baseless stories about 5G include, like previous wireless standards, a belief that it causes cancer and kills birds.

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What is intriguing in India is that 5G has neither launched nor is being tested right now - so even if there was a grain of truth to any of these scare stories, it could not possibly have any bearing on the situation in India.

The DoT approved the 5G trial only recently. Proof positive, if it was needed, that 5G is in no way linked to the growing numbers of coronavirus cases.

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— Gagandeep Kaur, contributing editor, special to Light Reading