Coronavirus conspiracy theorists thrive in Bolton | News

As Thursday drew to a close in Bolton the streets were mostly empty. The odd handful of masked commuters spilled from the railway station or trickled into supermarkets, with pubs closed.

At the start of the month the town in Greater Manchester was named England’s coronavirus hotspot. More curbs were imposed a fortnight ago, with pubs and restaurants restricted to operating as takeaways, in addition to rules outlawing household gatherings. In the week to Monday infections stayed high, at 218 per 100,000 people.

Behind closed doors, resentment has been building. Some residents have turned to conspiracy theories, causing anger among those following the rules.

In one of many examples, a commenter called Hass Khan wrote underneath a local news article about lockdown breaches: “What

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