Facebook announced that it will no longer remove posts that suggest COVID-19 was man-made. The policy change comes as new questions are being raised about the origins of the coronavirus.
"In light of ongoing investigations into the origin of COVID-19 and in consultation with public health experts, we will no longer remove the claim that COVID-19 is man-made from our apps," a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement. "We're continuing to work with health experts to keep pace with the evolving nature of the pandemic and regularly update our policies as new facts and trends emerge."
Earlier in the week, the Wall Street Journal reported that three workers at China's Wuhan Institute of Virology were hospitalized in November 2019 with symptoms similar to COVID-19. The first official case of COVID-19 was not reported by health officials in Wuhan until December 2019.
On Wednesday (May 26), President Joe Biden revealed that he has asked the intelligence community to deliver a report about the origins of the virus within 90 days.
"As part of that report, I have asked for areas of further inquiry that may be required, including specific questions for China. I have also asked that this effort include work by our National Labs and other agencies of our government to augment the Intelligence Community's efforts. And I have asked the Intelligence Community to keep Congress fully apprised of its work," Biden said in a statement.
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