Twitter said it will not take action against politicians’ tweets on the origins of the coronavirus outbreak unless they pose a “clear incitement” of physical harm, indicating it plans to largely stay on the sidelines of an intensifying blame game between U.S. and Chinese leaders.

“Official government accounts engaging in conversation about the origins of the virus and global public conversation about potential emergent treatments will be permitted, unless the content contains clear incitement to take a harmful physical action,” Twitter’s public safety arm tweeted late Monday.


The announcement arrives as the rapid spread of the virus — first identified in Wuhan, China — has ignited a global war of words on and off social media over its origin.