the only idea I have come up with, and it's a bit scary, is that the people are affected by their leader - everything is fake news and you can choose what you want to believe.  It's a bit like that over here too but those rallies - that's a lot of added social stress.

Talking about the virus with my American friend,( who pats my cat, I have a vested interest in how well she travels), it started with her insisting it was a hoax and I am saying no you have to practise infection control when you're selling food, you really really do.  (omg I am so glad this area doesn't have any cases). and she is trying to convince me it is our governments plotting to enslave their populations.  Then a while later it was on and now it was the superfood cures etc and get ready because within the year there will be no food.  But still, though personal practises are better, they're not good, does she still believe it's a hoax? well yes sometimes she does.  Other times it is a moral cleanser, here to sort the wheat from the chaff, therefore as wheat she will not get infected, either way she believes in her immunity. 

And she believes the lock down is a plot to enslave us.  For all her arguing from every point of the compass these two ideas remain stable.

Why, she wants to know are we in lockdown with only 76 deaths, it's no different to any flu.

My little soul is curled up in the corner by this point - let me not mention the circulating photos being used for different articles proves that they are fake news - well how do you know that the articles you read are not fake news then, I want to ask but I don't.  I content myself with insisting there is such a thing as an objective reality.