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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
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Laura Spinney

Five years on from the pandemic, the right’s fake Covid narrative has been turbo-charged into the mainstream

Illustration by Matt Kenyon

Once, we all respectfully listened to what epidemiologists said. We queued up for vaccines, observed distancing lines and confidently asked unmasked passengers on public transport to cover their faces. A tyrannical virus ruled over us, and we did everything in our power to limit its ravages.

Five years on from the declaration of the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s the masked passenger who is suspect, nobody notices the scuffed distancing lines and trust in vaccines has taken a tumble. A different narrative has invaded the conversation: it wasn’t the virus that ruined our lives, but the response.

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