A prominent Norwegian coronavirus denier has died from Covid-19 after hosting two events at his property.
Hans Kristian Gaarder tested positive for the virus after dying on April 6 in Gran, a municipality that lies some 40 miles north of Oslo.
Just days before his death, the conspiracy theorist, 60, hosted two illegal gatherings at a barn on his property on March 26 and 27.
Several attendees have since tested positive for coronavirus and had passed the virus onto their close contacts, NRK reported.
Local newspaper Hadeland reported that at least 12 people had tested positive after attending the events. Police are now working to establish the total number of attendees.
Local officials believe Gaarder may have been ill for several weeks without informing anyone, newsinenglish.no reported.
The Gran Municipality confirmed the death of a man in his 60s on its website.
‘A man in his 60s, living in Gran, has died after being ill with coronavirus. The person was not tested for coronavirus before he died, but it is confirmed afterward that he was infected with the virus.
‘Gran municipality has become aware that two events were held, Friday 26 and Saturday 27 March, on the man’s property. We do not know how many and who have participated in the event, but ask the participants to take a corona test as soon as possible.’
A statement on the website from the municipality’s chief physician chief Are Løken said the death was ‘a sad message to get,’ adding that ‘our thoughts now go to the relatives.’
‘We are again reminded of how dangerous the virus can be and how important it is that we endure the strict measure for a while longer.’
Gatherings have been banned in the area since March 16 in a bid to curb infections.
On Wednesday, 599 new cases of coronavirus were reported in Norway along with 18 deaths.
Some 106,000 infections have been recorded in the country since the pandemic began last spring, with 706 deaths reported.
Gaarder was a prominent conspiracy theorist, appearing on television as well as editing an online magazine.
He frequently claimed that coronavirus was comparable to a cold and shared several posts on his Facebook page that have been marked by the social media site as ‘false information’.
In 2009, rose to prominence as one of three people who reported NRK and Norway’s National Institute of Public Health to the police for ‘engaging in extreme fear propaganda and lies regarding swine flu.’
As well as sharing anti-vaxxer views, Gaarder also posted about the Illuminati and thoroughly debunked claims that Joe Biden’s election victory was illegitimate.
The March 26 event he held at his barn was advertised under the title: Trump, Biden and the way forward for the USA and the world.