Officials ask the FBI to investigate a false letter that announced the presence of the disease in the city.
Congresswoman Nanette Barragan at a conference in Carson. (Jacqueline García)
Photo:
Jacqueline García / Impremedia
Accompanied by local authorities, Congresswoman Nannette Barragan, announced Monday that they are asking the FBI to investigate who prepared a letter and published it on social networks announcing that the coronavirus had been confirmed in the city of Carson.
The false letter included electronic logos of health entities including the CDC and the World Health Organization. This even named four businesses in the city of Carson allegedly contaminated.
The letter was shared at least 5,000 times on social media in less than an hour, local officials said.
"We want the public to know that this information is false," said Congresswoman Barragán, who represents the city of Carson. "We called on the FBI to investigate who did this and to make sure they are prosecuted at the highest levels of government."
The news caused fear in the community as the coronavirus has claimed the lives of more than 360 people in China where the disease originated.
The coronavirus can spread through the air, by personal contact or by touching an object that has the virus. Coronaviruses are usually found in animals but the latter, 2019-n CoV, was first identified in humans.
However, in the United States, cases of people infected with the coronavirus are relatively low. As of Sunday, only 11 cases had been identified in the country with six cases in California.
The Secretary of Human and Health Services of the United States, Alex Azar, declared on Friday a public health emergency in the nation to help health officials evaluate travelers and ensure that resources are focused on the investigation of this disease.
"Secretary Azar stressed that,‘ the risk to the American public is still low at this time, "said Congresswoman Barragán. "And our national security advisor Robert O'Brien said (on Sunday) that" there is no need for Americans to panic. " And I agree that there is no need for Americans to panic. ”
Barragan said that so far it is unknown if the letter was sent via social networks, through another state or even from another country.
"There is no way to know at this time where the source is, so we need all the tools and resources available, including the cyber security operations of the federal government, between the National Security and the FBI," said the congresswoman.
Dr. Muntu Davis, from the Los Angeles County Health Department, said that when they have a confirmed case, they announce it publicly in a press release and on the website.
“But (the letter) was not something we would have done and we didn't do it. That information was false, ”said Dr. Davis.
Segregating the Asian community
Carson City Mayor Albert Robles speculated that the fake letter was addressed specifically to Carson, as it is a multicultural community.
"While the letter was false, the xenophobia he turned to was not," said the mayor. "Carson, with a 25% Asian population, I think the perpetrators attacked our community."
Robles said he came to this conclusion since on Thursday, Carson's city hall was closed in celebration of Fred Korematsu's day, an American-Asian civil rights activist who opposed the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Carson is proud to be the first city to recognize January 30 as a paid holiday.
“And specifically on Thursday, every day, a day when the town hall would normally be open we were closed which exacerbated the situation because when residents saw social networks and called the City Council there was no answer and fear increased when they arrived at City Hall and they saw that it was closed, ”said the mayor. "I think the perpetrators took advantage of all these factors and chose Carson."
The officials recommended to the community that when they see these types of messages on social networks, do not hesitate to contact the source that announces it directly to avoid confusion.
