The deadly coronavirus has gripped India with the confirmed cases reaching 30 in the country. To control the spread and be safe, people have been advised to stay away from mass gatherings and crowds.
Recently, PM Narendra Modi also tweeted that he will not participate in any Holi Milan programmes.
Amid the buzz of coronavirus, a picture has been going viral on social media since the last few days which shows an “advisory” issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Government of India.
It warns Indians against the purchase of China-made colours for Holi 2020 celebrations. As per the claim, the colours are imported from the Chinese city of “Hunei” — the epicentre of coronavirus outbreak.
Check out the post:
इस वर्ष होली में चीन के गुलाल और रंग को कैसे पहचाना जाय? pic.twitter.com/IkMqVC92VS
— Mastana (@HarishK04131926) February 20, 2020
The images shared on WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter contain a note in Hindi, which roughly translates as follows: “Among Indian festivals, the biggest festival Holi will be celebrated in the next few days.
FACT CHECK:
When a fact check was done, it was found Government of India or the WHO has issued any such advisory. The rumour-monger has created an image writing World Health Organisation on its top and using the logo of GoI below it, along with the fake message he/she has posted.
The grammatical errors in the note make it apparent that the so-called advisory has been typed with the intent to spread fake news.
Further, the message also entails a major factual error. The epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak in Hubei, not Hunei. Hubei is a central province of China, which locates the city of Wuhan — where the first COVID-19 case was reported.
Final Verdict:
Therefore, it’s a fake News and no such advisory has been issued.
