The comments come after concerns were raised that such incidents may have been sparked by the increasing prevalence of online conspiracy theories, which claim that there is a link between the 5G masts and the spread of the coronavirus.
Scientists, as well as leading British health and government officials, have re-iterated that there is no concrete evidence to suggest that 5G radiation causes physical ailments or diseases, with Professor Stephen Powis, national medical director for NHS England, calling the claims "outrageous" and "absolute and utter rubbish", and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove, dubbing the links “dangerous nonsense”, in last Saturday’s daily COVID-19 briefing.
Tech giants YouTube and Facebook have now taken measures to address the matter, with the former banning videos linking 5G masts with the spread of the coronavirus, and the latter preventing users from forwarding a message to more than one chat at a time in its WhatsApp service, in a bid to clamp down on disinformation.
Johnson has however yet to rescind the deal with Huawei, but could face increasing pressure to do so in the aftermath of the coronavirus Pandemic, should relations between China and the West continue to deteriorate.