CLAIM
A photo of multiple people lying on a street is being shared in the context of an outbreak of coronavirus in China and elsewhere as the effect of the deadly virus. The photo seems to imply that all these people are lying dead on a road. Along with the photo, a message is also being shared which lays out warnings against the disease.
“Korona virus, very new deadly form of virus, china is suffering, may come to India immediately, avoid any form of cold drinks, ice creams, koolfee, etc, any type of preserved foods, milkshake, rough ice, ice colas, milk sweets older then 48 hours, for atleast 90 days from today,” the message being shared reads.
The Quint received a query about the photo on its helpline number.
TRUE OR FALSE?
The claim along with the photo is false and it is in no way related to the outbreak of coronavirus. It is actually an old photo from Germany dated to 2014. Moreover, the people in the photo are not dead, but were lying down on the road as part of an art project.
Moreover, the message that is being forwarded with the photo too is false and none of the points mentioned in it have actually been mentioned by WHO as measures to protect oneself from the risk of contracting the coronavirus infection.
WHAT WE FOUND
1. THE PHOTO
On running a reverse search on the image we received, The Quint found that it was dated to March 2014 and was a photo of an art project that had taken place in Germany’s Frankfurt.
We found the photo in a photo gallery published by Voice of America, which was dated 25 March 2014. The caption along with the photo explained that it showed people lying down in a pedestrian zone as part of an art project in remembrance of the 528 victims of the "Katzbach" Nazi concentration camp, in Frankfurt. According to the caption, the project had taken place on 24 March 2014.
The photo was credited to Reuters.
We also came across the same photo with a similar caption in a gallery by South China Morning Post.
We were also able to find the photo on Reuters’ own archives.
2. THE MESSAGE
The message that is being circulated with the photo is actually something that is viral by itself as well. The Quint has previously showed its claims are false as well.
The World Health Organisation has suggested ways to protect oneself from the risk of contracting the coronavirus infection, such as frequently cleaning hands by using alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water, avoiding close contact with anyone that has fever and cough and avoiding unprotected contact with live wild or farm animals, among others.
The prevention methods suggested by the organisation are common for preventing any viruses that can lead to respiratory illnesses — and they don’t mention ice-creams, cold drinks, milkshakes or any preserved food.
Therefore, it is clear that the photo is being shared with a false context, and the message is completely false.
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