How Insensitive Comments About Covid-19 Had An Army Employee Fired.

Covid-19 is no laughing matter. The pandemic which halted the world was also the cause of suffering for millions of people. It’s why there’s no margin given to any individual for making light of the situation.

Based on the reasons above, it’s not a surprise that army officials took such a hard stand and fired a social media manager for offensive and racist comments. These comments were mainly related to the pandemic and were posted as a series of questions and answers. The posts were live on the Army’s Official Social Media Instagram account. After backlash brought attention to the matter, the post finally got taken down hours later.

So, what exactly was the post?

The post asked, “Why did a man eat a Bat?”. The answer? “It wasn’t because he was thirsty.”

This question is a blatant reference to a popular misconception that the covid-19 pandemic started because someone ate a bat in China. This rumor has no scientific backing yet has become an almost frequent justification for the virus in casual discussions regarding the origin of the pandemic. Because of rumors and misconceptions, there’s been a significant backlash regarding an increase in culturally offensive and ethic blaming. These offensive comments have escalated to an increase in violent hate crimes across the United States.

Deleting the post wasn’t enough as its exitance continued to draw condemnation. Well-known veterans like Tammy Duckworth took a hardline stance against the abovementioned comments. On Twitter, Tammy wrote, “We do not know how COVID19 first infected humans, but racism has no place in our Armed Forces.” VoteVets also condemned the post on through a tweet and demanded an investigation.

In response to the backlash, Col.Kathy Turner, the Army’s Spokeswoman, apologized for the comments in a statement and ensured that the responsible individual was relieved. She also promised an investigation and new measures to avoid a similar situation in the future.

The comments regarding Covid-19 weren’t only offensive, but they were dangerously ill-informed as well. The post mentioned a proven misconception regarding how children could not contract the virus.

With millions of Americans affected by the pandemic, jokes about the deaths caused by the virus and the acute shortage of toilet paper are in poor taste.

The pandemic shows no signs of stopping at the time of these comments. Millions of Americans in various states are under partial quarantine and cannot travel locally or internationally.

Health protection is the Army’s top priority. Officials are committed to ensuring accurate and up-to-date information regarding the virus to help stop its spread.