The tweet was rapidly debunked by experts, and removed by Twitter on Sunday. But the damage had already been done. The post had been retweeted at least 1,800 times, and generated over 7,300 likes and replies, before it was taken down.
The takedown by Twitter set off a flurry of anti-mask posts, and accusations of tech censorship, across social media. The company said the post had violated its policy against false or misleading information about the coronavirus that could lead to harm.