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Several Trenton City Council members reportedly pushed a 5G ban after being duped by a hoax linking the wireless network to the spread of the coronavirus.
A letter from a city resident pushing the conspiracy prompted members of the legislative body to draft a proposal banning the construction of telecommunications towers in New Jersey’s capital, according to the Trentonian.
“[T]he Trenton City Council finds that wireless telecommunications facilities and related equipment may pose unique impacts upon the public health, safety and welfare and environment of the city and its inhabitants and may have other adverse impacts, visual and otherwise, on the community,” reads the undated ordinance obtained by the outlet.
Council President Kathy McBride, told the paper that she had not seen the letter and that there had been longstanding concerns about plans for a new telecommunications tower in the city.
But McBride, who was once fooled by a “Blue Waffle Disease” hoax while serving on the council, has peddled the conspiracy with posts on her public Facebook page.
McBride said she wanted to consult a “scientist” or related expert to advise the council on potential public health risks associated with installing 5G in Trenton.
She did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The mayor and the council reportedly received a letter dated April 6 warning that “wireless providers are using the COVID-19 emergency as cover to expand and cement their rapid and virtually unsupervised deployment of harmful wireless infrastructure.”
The letter has not stopped Mayor Reed Gusciora from endorsing the technology and its expansion in Trenton.
“The only time I would even consider [a ban is] if it came from a scientist or someone who had that type of experience,” Gusciora told the Trentonian.
Several big-name celebrities — including John Cusack and Woody Harrelson — have also floated the claim that 5G is either the actual cause of the contagion or just enhancing its spread and lethality by weakening the immune system.
