MOUNT PEARL, N.L. — Health officials have pleaded since March 2020 for residents of Newfoundland and Labrador not to spread rumours about COVID-19 on social media, but many seem only to happy to turn to unverified information posted online.
Case in point: Steve Kent.
The controversial former Mount Pearl mayor spurred plenty of polarized reaction on Facebook and Twitter Sunday after posting about possible COVID-19 cases in the metro region.
Bys come on... #NLpoli #covid19nfld #COVID19NL pic.twitter.com/xEh9OmjagL
— Damian Ryan (@damianryan_5) February 7, 2021
At least one post was taken down after dozens of people criticized him for spreading unconfirmed reports.
But his information regarding cases of COVID-19 at a Mount Pearl school turned out to be true. The Newfoundland and Labrador English School District confirmed to parents Sunday night that two students at Mount Pearl Senior High have tested positive for the disease and that the school will temporarily close.
That resulted in a bitter back and forth, with many fans hailing him as a hero and detractors saying he should not have jumped the gun.
“Whether or not he was right really doesn’t matter,” said one respondent. “He (or anyone else) should never post anything until it comes from Dr. (Janice) Fitzgerald or Dr. (John) Haggie. Kent is not an official source.”
“(W)hat was the benefit of Steve Kent ‘sounding the alarm’? Anyone who needed to self-isolate was being contacted by public health,” wrote another.
Kent himself was unapologetic.
I only post confirmed information on my page, and only when I feel it could be helpful to people in some way. It’s not...
Posted by Steve Kent on Sunday, February 7, 2021
“I only post confirmed information on my page, and only when I feel it could be helpful to people in some way,” he wrote in a followup Facebook post. “It’s not a perfect science. But I do my best.”
He went on to say he is a private citizen, and nobody is obligated to like, follow, share or even read his page.
“I love my community and my province. I will continue to do what I can to post helpful things.”
When contacted Monday, Kent refused to discuss the matter.
“I’m not commenting on my social media,” he said after a long pause. “It’s too silly to talk about.”
