Michael Lane Brandin, a US-based man, has narrated how he
got arrested and lost his job after faking he had contracted COVID-19 on
Facebook.
In March, Brandin, who is from Woodville, had taken to his
social media page to inform his followers that he had the novel disease.
The young man, who has a bachelors of degree in Mass
Communications, said his faux illness online was aimed to conduct a “social
experiment” and prove that people should not always believe everything they
read online.
He had claimed in the post that his doctor told him
COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, was now airborne.
“I have a bachelors of science degree in mass
communications. I did it to prove how easy it is for anyone to post something
online and cause panic,” he told BBC.
“I wanted to prove that it is important for people to be
educated and do their own research before assuming everything they read or hear
is true.”
His post, however, became a subject of heated controversies
in Tyler County, Texas, where he lived, with many afraid that they could easily
get infected with the virus since Brandin claimed it was airborne.
The 23-year-old student would later be arrested for creating
a “baseless” report and charged with criminal allegation of false alarm.
After spending a night behind bars, he was later released on
condition of paying a $1,000 (£800) bail bond but now awaits the commencement
of his trial.
The development has not only seen him lost his job but also
denied of his health benefits. Brandin said it has also halted his quest to
further his masters degree over lack of money.
“But because of a Facebook post I lost my job, my health
benefits. I couldn’t start my masters programme on time due to not having the
money. It has put a financial burden on my entire family because they are all
trying to help me pay my bills,” he added.
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