Even as Donald Trump has extended the social distancing guidelines to April 30 and fully backtracked on claims that the coronavirus pandemic is some kind of liberal “hoax,” his supporters are continuing to push this dangerous conspiracy theory in any way they can think of. This week, they’re filming the outside areas of emergency rooms of hospitals in areas not yet heavily hit by the pandemic and suggesting that this means that every hospital in the U.S. looks the same.

Congressional candidate DeAnna Lorraine, Republican, is pushing this with her own video and the hashtag #FilmYourHospital.

Just went to 2 hospitals in LA to check out these “War Zones” the MSM keeps telling us about.🏥



They are very quiet & EMPTY.

We are not being told the truth. Why?? Let’s get #FilmYourHospital trending. We ARE the news now. We can’t trust the news. Post pics of ur hospital here! pic.twitter.com/5AJ5L588lQ — DeAnna Lorraine🇺🇸 (@DeAnna4Congress) March 29, 2020

Lorraine’s video is 100 percent on the outside of the ER. It’s unclear why she thinks sick people would be kept there.

There are a number of reasons why these videos are facepalm-worthy, starting with the fact that the nature of a pandemic is to start in high-population areas like New York City and spread from there. It would be virtually impossible for a virus to hit every area with a hospital hard at once—and even if the insides of these hospitals are relatively empty, it doesn’t mean every hospital is the same or that any hospital will stay empty.

I can’t show any video, but the Covid unit at my hospital looks like a war zone, vents in most rooms, 1/2 the patients in multisystem organ failure, on CRRT and multiple life saving medication. ERs are empty, as they should be

#FilmYourHospital pic.twitter.com/Fwh285P2ZY — Nurse Ratched (@veggie64_leslie) March 30, 2020

#FilmYourHospital



So St Luke's in Denver is a ghost town. One of the nurses told me That it was pretty slow. But that they were preparing for it to get busy. The emergency room was empty too. pic.twitter.com/rSDZjEyJS0 — Brandon Bowser (@brandonBowser10) March 30, 2020

#FilmYourHospital



So I went into St Joseph's hospital in Denver it was empty as well. Definitely not a war zone. All the nurses I talked to said they were slower than usual. I'm staying to think the media is lying. pic.twitter.com/qL45BrRVtO — Brandon Bowser (@brandonBowser10) March 30, 2020

Three empty ER parking lots and entrances at large suburban Wisconsin hospitals #FilmYourHospital pic.twitter.com/3wqkDWojf9 — GraypeaceWINwrites (@Graypeace50) March 29, 2020

Meanwhile, healthcare workers in hard-hit areas are reporting overloaded ICUs and other areas inside the hospital where sick individuals are kept, as well as full morgues. There has been some video of the inside of these areas, but as many have pointed out, hospitals can’t just let anybody go in and film whatever they want, even if this wasn’t a quarantine situation, because of a little something called HIPAA.

Apparently no one in the #FilmYourHospital tag knows what HIPAA is.



You're not seeing a flood of photos and video from inside hospitals because that's how people who work there get fired and/or sued, you complete melons. — Sara Luterman (@slooterman) March 30, 2020

Some Republicans like Lorraine who have been pushing the hashtag have come under heavy fire both for insulting the overworked healthcare workers dealing with the crowded hospitals and for pushing dangerous conspiracy theories that could lead to more people ignoring social distancing guidelines. Unfortunately, the people who get infected because of this can spread it to the rest of us who are sacrificing to try and flatten the curve.

Which is why reasonable people are so angry right now.

This whole #FilmYourHospital trend is hugely insulting to all the medical personnel working to save lives! And 1 day they’ll be treating some of these assholes. Not to mention it’s grossly disrespectful to the people who’ve lost their lives & to their suffering family & friends🤬 — Terri Clark 🖊🐢 (@T3rriClark) March 30, 2020

Please watch this video by @BeauTFC explaining why #FilmYourHospital is both wrong and a REALLY bad idea. You have a moral obligation to retweet his video. People could die because of this recklessness. /1https://t.co/7R0QrDr7Za — Robin Messing (@RobinSMessing) March 30, 2020

#FilmYourHospital so y’all are taking pictures *outside* the hospital in an attempt to illustrate that they’re not busy... pic.twitter.com/9l5ya4JbeJ — Radical Centrist (@smuggawd) March 30, 2020

"Brooklyn Hospital. They are putting bodies in the back of a freezer truck" #FilmYourHospital pic.twitter.com/c2U9A0hoP5 — Coronavirus (@SARS_COVID19) March 30, 2020

Just came from the ER. What these morons who think this is a hoax are seeing are empty waiting rooms because the hospitals are doing an amazing job separating those with Covid19 symptoms from the waiting rooms where people who aren’t there for that. #FilmYourHospital — Stephanie B (@Failsatmom) March 30, 2020

To those saying #FilmYourHospital



The hospitals look empty because they've cancelled non-emergent and urgent care.



You know, as advised. Get a different hobby. One that doesn't endanger lives. https://t.co/AmA5168UgN — Beau of The Fifth Column (@BeauTFC) March 30, 2020

Everyone in #FilmYourHospital is so dumb... the hospitals are empty because 1. THEYRE NOT LETTING UNAUTHORIZED PERSONNEL IN 2. PEOPLE ARE AVOIDING GOING TO THE HOSPITAL TO STOP THE SPREAD OF COVID-19 ... the parking lots are empty because there’s no fucking visitors dumbasses — days (@lvndrdays) March 30, 2020

We don’t put on a show for your entertainment. The hard work is done inside behind closed doors.



If you’d prefer to be cared for in the lobby or parking lot, let your doctors know. #FilmYourHospital — Medical Axioms (@medicalaxioms) March 30, 2020

They’ll see the warzones when they’re the ones in the ICU severely ill with COVID-19.