Social media users have shared false allegations about British veteran captain Tom Moore, who died on 2 February 2021 after contracting COVID-19.
A Facebook post, which had more than 260 likes at the time of publication, reads: ‘Hold on a minute. Captain Tom was therefore admitted to hospital weeks ago to fight bacterial pneumonia (no doubt from a mask). Now he has tested positive for convid-19 via a PCR test that is not suitable for purposes … Moreover, he and his family were only recently flown to Barbados (December 11). I swear we were all in the lock on December 11th, so essential trip? Wtf goes on here. It looks like I was right back when he was walking around in his yard, and it was an advertising party. More paid government actors then. ”(Here and here).
First, there is no evidence that face masks increase the chance of pneumonia or any other infection in the lungs. Reuters has previously dropped this claim here and here.
Second, the claim that PCR tests are “not suitable for the purpose” is not supported by evidence. A Public Health England spokesman told Reuters earlier: “Molecular diagnostic tests, such as real-time PCR, are the gold standard methods for identifying individuals with an active viral infection, such as SARS-CoV-2 (the cause of COVID-19). These diseases are fast and deliver real-time results. ”Reuters has investigated other, false statements about COVID-19 tests here, here, here and here.
Third, England was not in a national exclusion when Moore flew with his family to Barbados. The government introduced the local level system of restrictions on 2 December 2020 after a month of lockdown (here). Moore lived in Bedfordshire in the East of England (here), which was placed in level 2 (here). Government advice said that people living in Level 1 and 2 areas can travel internationally from 2 December (here you can travel abroad). Moore’s Twitter account shows that he flew on December 11 (here), which means that his journey did not violate any rules.
While Moore was on vacation in Barbados (here), local newspapers reported that Bedfordshire moved into Level 3 on 19 December (here and here).
Finally, there is absolutely no evidence that Moore was a paid government actor nor that his fundraising was an advertising festival. The war veteran walked around his garden 100 times before his 100th birthday in April 2020, gripping riots around the world. His son-in-law Colin Ingram told Reuters on April 15: ‘It was literally just something we did in the garden to let him walk on his recovery after his hip surgery. We said we would give him a pound per shot and thank goodness I did not say that I would match any money he raised! ”(Here).
Reuters had earlier dismissed false claims indicating that its fundraising, which raised £ 38.9 million for the National Health Service (here), was untrue (here).
VERDICT
Untrue. Face masks do not cause pneumonia, there is no evidence to support the view that PCR tests give so many false readings that they are “not fit for purpose”, and Moore’s trip to Barbados was granted under the regional system of restrictions. The veteran’s fundraising for garden shops began to help him recover from an operation: it was not a publicity stunt and he was not a paid government actor.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our work to actually check social media posts.