Ever since the coronavirus pandemic took over the world, scientists all over the world have been working towards the vaccination of COVID-19. Some kind of treatment medication that can work to stop the contagious infection from spreading. However, despite various organisations urging people to not try out any home remedy or "cure" to deal with coronavirus, there is no lack of false information doing rounds on the internet. The latest false advisory that has taken of various social media platforms, maliciously also take the World Health Organization (WHO) into the loop. A fake infographic with a WHO logo is asking people to refrain from eating bakery items. The reasoning cited says that since they are not washable, there are chances of the bakery items carrying the virus and for other people to get infected from the coronavirus easily. Fact Check: Is Coronavirus Airborne? WHO Dismisses Fake News That COVID-19 Can Transmit Through Air.
The message on the viral post reads: "Stop eating bakery items! It is strictly advised to not to eat bakery items as it is not washable and can get infected to the virus easily." Check out the archived post since it has been tracked and taken down by Facebook and isn't available anymore on the social media platform. However, the screenshot of it is still doing rounds on WhatsApp as a viral forward.
What makes the situations even dangerous is the logo of WHO which is a credible source of information and people may misuse the credibility to spread false information. WHO amid the COVID-19 crisis is only saying to stay away from the crowd. Opt for social distancing and self-quarantine while maintaining hygiene.
First of all, WHO has not issued any such advisory that says not to eat any bakery item. Also, the reason that the contamination of bakery items from coronavirus is easier than other items is not verified. WHO and experts have issued only a few basic protective measures against the novel coronavirus: Coronavirus Prevention Tips: Google Spreads Awareness with 'DO THE FIVE' Advisory on Its Homepage to Stop the Spread of COVID-19.
As per the United States Food and Drug Administration, "currently there is no evidence of food or food packaging being associated with the transmission of COVID-19. It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads."
Also, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) report specifies "because of poor survivability of coronavirus on surfaces, there is likely very low risk of spread from food products or packaging that are shipped over a period of days or weeks at ambient, refrigerated, or frozen temperatures."
Fact check
'Stop Eating Bakery Items' Viral Photo Claiming WHO Asking People To Avoid Eating Bakery Products
WHO has not issued any such advisory that says not to eat any bakery items.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 01, 2020 03:24 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).