The United States Consulate General in Hong Kong on Tuesday dismissed rumors that the two coronavirus-infected staff invoked diplomatic immunity to avoid quarantine, calling the spread of such rumors by Beijing mouthpieces “the disinformation campaign from Chinese controlled media.”

The consulate said the couple were headed to an isolation ward as required after they were tested preliminary positive on Monday. “We have closed the Consulate General to perform a deep disinfection and cleaning, while appropriate contact tracing is completed,” the statement on Monday said.

But Dot Dot News, an online media outlet owned by Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong, reported on Monday that the two envoys have invoked diplomatic immunity to escape mandatory isolation, citing “a reliable government source.” Another state-backed media Wen Wei Po also published an extensive story on Tuesday to fuel the rumor.

The U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong hit back at these allegations on their Facebook page on Tuesday, asserting that the “disinformation campaign” from Beijing mouthpieces is false.

“We reject these efforts to spread disinformation about a critical public health issue,” the post wrote.

It stressed that the consulate has been fully co-operative with the authorities on actions to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and attached yesterday’s statement from the Hong Kong government.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam also confirmed on Tuesday morning that the two U.S. Consulate personnel were isolated at a hospital. Their young children were admitted into hospital last night together because of the family circumstances, said Lam, addressing concerns about the separation of children from their parents during quarantine.

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