We verified these coronavirus rumors so you don't have to

As fears about the coronavirus spread, so does misinformation about the virus. Here are three rumors our VERIFY team researched: Has local company Biamp Systems laid off their entire workforce in Tigard because of the virus? No. The company, which provides audio-visual products and systems, says that's not true. They use a large number of contract employees and they are always re-evaluating based on market demands. The state agency that handles...

Coronavirus rumors spread on app cripple LA's Koreatown

LOS ANGELES (AP) - In a Koreatown restaurant known for its beef bone broth soup, the lunchtime crowd Friday was half its normal size. The reason was a virulent rumor about a customer with coronavirus. Han Bat Shul Lung Tang was one of five restaurants that lost business after being named in posts on a Korean messaging app that warned a Korean Air flight attendant with the virus had dined there during a layover in Los Angeles more than a week ago. "It's fake news," owner John Kim said, and he had proof. His restaurant was closed at the time because of a water leak, a fact confirmed by the Department of Public Health. The rumor about the flight attendant was dispelled Friday morning by the Republic of Korea consulate in Los Angeles. In a statement posted in Korean on Facebook, the consulate general said the attendant who visited Los Angeles on Feb. 19-20 had gone to two businesses but neither was in Koreatown. Later in the day, public health officials said the flight attendant was not contagious while in the city. The rumor and the impact on the restaurants was a prime example of how fears of the virus combined with the speed and reach of social media can quickly cripple the healthiest of businesses and focus suspicion on ethnic communities. The virus, which began in China, has been spreading worldwide and has taken a big toll lately in South Korea. Lawmakers and advocates for immigrant communities have warned about xenophobia and discrimination aimed at Asian Americans. State Assemblyman Kansen Chu, D-San Jose, said Chinese businesses, in particular, were experiencing large economic losses as a result of racism and fear. A group representing Koreatown restaurants said business in general was down about 50% since the rumor spread on the Kakao Talk app on Monday. . ..

Coronavirus rumors spread on app cripple LA’s Koreatown

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Though most people were obsessed with the primary election results on Super Tuesday, Stephen Colbert took a moment during his opening monologue on "The Late Show" to talk about a much less stressful and amusing topic: Coronavirus. Colbert went through a grab bag of recent news developments related to the spread of the disease, starting with the highly unsettling press conference Donald Trump held with several pharmaceutical industry CEOs. During...