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A Norwegian COVID-19 denier, who was holding illegal gatherings, has died from the virus, officials said.
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Hans Kristian Gaarder (60) died days after holding two illegal parties on his property.
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Several guests have meanwhile tested positive for the virus and also given it for close contacts.
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A Norwegian conspiracy theorist, who believed COVID-19 was a hoax, died of the virus a few days after hosting two illegal gatherings on his property, according to officials.
Hans Kristian Gaarder (60) from Gran, a municipality located 40 km north of Oslo, tested positive for the virus after he died on April 6, officials said this week.
“A man in his 60s who lives in Gran died after being ill with the coronavirus. The person was not shown for coronavirus before he died, but was subsequently confirmed to be infected with the virus,” the municipality of Gran said. a statement on their website, according to Metro.
Read more: Sweden has almost ten times the number of deaths associated with COVID-19 as its Nordic neighbors. Here it went wrong.
Gaarder’s death comes days after he hosted two illegal house parties on March 26 and 27. It is unclear how many people attended it. He is suspected of being ill for several weeks, but he kept it a secret, local officials believe, reports newsinenglish.no.
Local media reported that more than a dozen participants have since tested positive for the virus and continued to pass it on.
“We do not know how many or who participated in the arrangements, but ask all participants to take a corona test as soon as possible,” police said in a press release, according to newsinenglish.no.
Gaarder was a prominent conspiracy theorist who used various social media channels to spread false information about the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the US election in 2020.
He regularly compared COVID-19 to ‘something that would be like a cold or mild flu’ and wrongly argued that it did not spread from person to person.
Gaarder also regularly reported on the Illuminati, arguing that Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory was illegal.
Last month, the municipality banned Gan social gatherings to prevent the further spread of the virus.
Since the onset of the pandemic, Norway has fared better than its neighbor Sweden, according to the World Health Organization, more than 106,000 confirmed cases and just over 708 deaths.
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