Accused of taking advantage of the worldwide crisis and exploiting people's anxiety towards the COVID-19 pandemic, a faith healer in London is selling a "plague protection kit" for £91.
Identified as Bishop Climate Wiseman, the head of the Kingdom Church in Camberwell, south London, promised his followers that the piece of red yarn and a small bottle of oil that they can get in exchange for money will protect them from contracting the novel coronavirus.
Bishop Wiseman claimed that his concoction made of cedarwood, hyssop, and scarlet yarn will protect anyone who has it from getting infected with COVID-19 through creating an "invisible barrier" which will block the power of darkness.
Dubbing his creation as the "divine plague protection oil" he said that his concoction and scarlet yarn along with his followers' faith would protect them from the coronavirus pandemic.
He further added that his supposed remedy to the virus was taken from the 14th chapter of the Old Testament Book of Leviticus, where it is stated that in order to protect a person from plagues, one must take the ingredients used in his concoction and sprinkle it in his house seven times.
According to Mirror, the kit was originally sold for £91, however, the link to buy it has been removed after the criticisms it has received from the Southwark Council. The said it is still available at Prophet Climate Megastore for £50.
COVID-19 related scams spread faster than the virus
Southwark Council cabinet member for finance, performance and Brexit,Victoria Mills, noted that it is wrong for anybody to exploit the fears of people especially during this time where anxiety is widespread. She also encouraged people to report any similar situation to London trading Standards, saying that the issue is already under investigation.
With the widespread of COVID-19, scams taking advantage of people scared of getting sick also become widespread. According to the Southwark Council, they are working hard to support consumers from buying bogus test kits, treatments, cures and financial scams.
It was reported that Bishop Wiseman's "plague protection kit" sold more than 1,000 pieces.
The bishop insisted that since his kit is based on the Bible, he believes that it would protect people from plagues since the Bible says this is the way to do it. He also said that they are not selling the kits for profit, instead, the payment was only to cover the costs of the ingredients and materials used to make them.
Moreover, the bishop also said that he was not telling people to ignore the advice of the government with regards to stopping the spread of the virus, instead, he was offering them additional protection. He also asked if there is something wrong with practicing what is stated in the bible.
Public Health England has reiterated their advice on avoiding the spread of the virus, which is to follow social distancing protocol, have a good handwashing habit, and avoiding to touch one's face. They also advised that people who have suspected contact with anyone who has travel history or is coronavirus positive should self-isolate for at least 14 days.
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