In another case of fake news surrounding the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, a questionable audio clip has gone viral on social media.
Many of our community members sent it to us, asking us to verify the authenticity of the audio clip.
The clip is basically a conversation between two men. One of them allegedly has a friend called Saurabh who is the brother of the Director of WHO’s India branch.
According to this man, Saurabh told him that WHO has directed India to go into complete lockdown for two months from April 15 to June 15 2020.
He added that during these two months only police stations and hospitals will be open.
He also goes on to insinuate that the older citizens, above the age of 60 will not be provided with medical assistance, instead, the youth will be attended to.
‘Don’t know how authentic is this but if this is true then India is going to face a very critical situation. Everyone, please listen to this,’ reads the caption that accompanied the audio clip.
Claim:
India will go into lock-down for two months from April 15, 2020, to June 15 2020.
Fact Check:
The claim made in the audio clip is false.
The ‘PIB Fact Check’ Twitter account, which is responsible for debunking fake news related to government policies and schemes, has denied all the claims of a potential lockdown in the coming days.
‘Many ‘lockdown’ rumours are going viral on #WhatsApp and other social media platforms. The assertion made in the message is #fake and pure scaremongering,’ the tweet reads.
Many ‘lockdown’ rumours are going viral on #WhatsApp and other social media platforms. #PIBFACTCHECK: The assertion made in the message is #fake and pure scaremongering.Don’t fall for such rumours! pic.twitter.com/aZNMBxLQRo
â PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) March 19, 2020
Additionally, the situation report issued by WHO does not include anything related to directives on lockdowns.
It only contains an overview of the entire world, the number of cases reported, stages of transmission in each region and the new protocols for Early Epidemiologic investigations.
Therefore, considering the absence of official government notices regarding potential lockdowns, it can be concluded that the claims being made in the audio are false.
If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343
Also Read: Top 10 COVID-19 Myths You Almost Believed
