Holi 2020: Fake News of 'WHO Warning' on Made in China Gulaal and Colours Go Viral Amid Holi Milan Programmes in India Cancelled Due to Coronavirus Outbreak, Here's a Fact Check
Neither the 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 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.
The deadly flu of Coronavirus has spread in India with currently 29 positive cases in the country. To control the spread and be safe, people have been advised to stay away from mass gatherings and crowds. As President Kovind announced yesterday, the Rashtrapati Bhavan will not hold any traditional Holi gatherings. PM Narendra Modi also tweeted that he will not participate in any Holi Milan programmes. As the buzz about COVID-19 spread in India rises, 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. But is the viral picture real? Here's a fact-check of the claim which is going viral among netizens.
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. In India, the maximum of colours, gulaal, masks and other products are imported from China. What you consider as cheap and attractive contains a large amount of polymer. You must be informed that the raw materials are procured from China's Hunei from where coronavirus started to spread. We appeal all of you to not to use the products imported from China."
Here's the Claim Going Viral on Twitter
Fact-Check
Neither the 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 coronavirus outbreak is Hubei, not Hunei. Hubei is a central province of China, which locates the city of Wuhan -- where the first COVID-19 case was reported.
The LatestLY fact-check team further found that the WHO, on its portal to bust myths surrounding coronavirus, answered a query on imported Chinese goods. The United Nations body said products imported from China should not be considered as a medium for the spread of COVID-19.
On a query whether it is safe to import Chinese goods, here is how the WHO responded: "Yes, it is safe. People receiving packages from China are not at risk of contracting the new coronavirus. From previous analysis, we know coronaviruses do not survive long on objects, such as letters or packages." Considering the above points, it can be concluded that the messages going viral on social media platforms about China-made colours are fake.
Fact check
WHO-GoI Advisory Warns Against Buying Chinese Colours For Holi
Fake News. No Such Advisory Issued.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 05, 2020 12:44 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).