Conspiracy theories are circulating online that the announcement of Jill Biden’s COVID-19 infection was “all part of the plan” to reintroduce coronavirus pandemic restrictions such as mask mandates.
On Monday evening, the First Lady’s communications director Elizabeth Alexander confirmed the 72-year-old had tested positive for the virus and was experiencing “only mild symptoms.” She will remain at the family’s Delaware beach house while fighting the infection.
The White House later stated that Joe Biden had tested negative, but would continue to be monitored. The president has spent much of the summer with his wife, most recently visiting Florida with her to view the destruction caused by Hurricane Idalia.
A positive infection for Joe Biden, 80, would come at an inconvenient time: he is due to travel to India on Thursday for a summit of G20 leaders, before going to Vietnam for a diplomatic visit.
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However, the announcement of the First Lady’s infection comes amid a spike in infections in the U.S. spurred on by the emergence of two new variants of the virus, prompting speculation that fresh COVID restrictions could be on the horizon.
In the week to August 19, there were more than 15,000 hospitalizations due to COVID-19 infections across the U.S., the most recent monitoring figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show—a rise of nearly 19 percent on the week prior.
Admissions have been steadily rising since July, but are far below the highest peaks of the pandemic and appear to be localized into hotspots. A CDC spokesperson told Newsweek on Thursday it currently has no intention to call for a return of mandated mask-wearing, but didn’t deny that this might change if cases of the new variants were to rise significantly.
In August, arch conspiracy theorist Alex Jones predicted that air passengers would have to wear face masks from mid-October, before “a return to the full COVID protocol” by December.
There is currently no evidence to suggest this will be the case. A Transportation Security Administration spokesperson denied the claims to the Associated Press, while a CDC spokesperson described them as “utterly false.”
“HE WAS RIGHT,” Eric Spracklen, a conservative digital strategist, said on Monday evening. “Jill Biden’s positive test is all part of the plan.”
“Who cares if Jill Biden has COVID?” Kandiss Taylor, a Republican candidate for Georgia governor in 2022, who has previously suggested that the portrayal of “globes” in the media was NASA “propaganda,” reacted to the news. “They are trying to push this narrative still.”
One social media user wrote that the announcement of the First Lady’s positive test was “the plan to push the lockdowns through,” while another questioned why she had been infected after being vaccinated and receiving booster shots.
A vaccine primarily does not stop an infection from occurring, but rather gives the body the tools to fight an infection more effectively—in the same way a castle wall does not stop an attack from happening, but rather makes the castle easier to defend when an attack occurs.
Who cares if Jill Biden has COVID??? I don’t get it. They are trying to push this narrative still. Someone has a cold. Someone has the flu. Someone has allergies. Someone has diarrhea. COVID viruses have been around forever and not going away. Again, who cares!
— Kandiss Taylor (@KandissTaylor) September 5, 2023
Mask wearing mandates have become a thorny political issue, pitting what some see as an infringement of their personal liberties against what health officials view as one of several measures that limit the spread of the virus among the general population.
Some states have banned mask mandates in public institutions, while others have mooted a return if deemed necessary.
There are differing opinions among the scientific community as to the efficacy of mask wearing, though many agree that when used in tandem with other measures—such as washing hands, social distancing and vaccination—they help stop the virus spreading.
Newsweek approached the White House via email for comment on Tuesday.