Imperial College London Didn't Send Memo About Permanent Lockdown
The Claim
A document that outlines plans for a permanent lockdown was leaked from Imperial College London.
News posted on
Emerging story
An image that shows a supposedly leaked document from Imperial College London is being shared across social media platforms. The memorandum is titled âNext Steps â Permanent Lockdown of the UK (Private & Confidential).â It includes plans to convince the British people to accept a permanent lockdown due to risks associated with new viral variants.
Misbarâs Analysis
Misbarâs investigation concluded that the memorandum that was supposedly leaked from Imperial College London is fake; there is no plan for a permanent lockdown. Imperial College London released a statement regarding the memo that was supposedly authored by epidemiologist Neil Ferguson. According to the college, the memo is an âobvious fakeâ that âwas not written by Neil Ferguson.â
The fake memorandum states that the Indian and Nepal variants of the COVID virus are a rebranding of hay fever. Hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen and other airborne substances that causes cold-like symptoms. The condition has nothing to do with the COVID variants or the lockdowns.
Additionally, due to increased vaccinations, the UK has taken steps towards lifting lockdown restrictions across the country. Prime minister Boris Johnson recently laid out plans to further ease COVID restrictions starting on July 19. This includes eliminating most social distancing measures and lifting face mask requirements.
