Know the truth behind this viral image - Love in the time of Corona
Amid
the coronavirus pandemic, an image of a couple has caught the attention of
social media. Many users have posted the image of a man and woman with masks
undone, holding each other closely, and claimed that this is a doctor couple in
Italy who have treated more than 134 Covid-19 patients, but died on the eighth
day giving in to the deadly disease.
The
melodramatic story of a doctor couple who died treating Covid-19 patients could
not be found in any credible Italian media either.
Amid
the coronavirus pandemic, an image of a couple has caught the attention of
social media. Many users have posted the image of a man and woman with masks
undone, holding each other closely, and claimed that this is a doctor couple in
Italy who have treated more than 134 Covid-19 patients, but died on the eighth
day giving in to the deadly disease.
This melodramatic story has been shared by many Facebook users such as "Vijay
Kumar Sagar Moradabadi" and "RK Narula".
The
Hindi caption loosely translates to, "Both husband and wife were doctors
in Italy and saved 134 lives from coronavirus. On the eighth day, they got
infected and were shifted to separate rooms. When they felt they would not
survive, they met and looked at each other with love in their eyes. After half
an hour, they died."
The
archived versions of the posts are saved here and here.
Anti
Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found the claim to be misleading. The couple was
photographed at Spain's Barcelona airport and not in any hospital in Italy. The
viral story along with the picture is also fictitious.
This
post is quite viral on Facebook.
Using
reverse image search, we found that the viral picture has been used in several
news articles related to the coronavirus outbreak in Spain on various websites
such as "Tampa Bay Times" and "The Washington Times".
The
picture was attributed to Emilio Morenatti of global news agency Associated
Press (AP).
The
original picture caption by AP reads, "A man and woman kiss in the
Barcelona, Spain airport on Thursday, March 12, 2020." This photo was
created on March 12, 2020.
AFWA
spoke to Emilio Morenatti and asked if there is any truth associated with the
viral claim about the Italian doctor couple. The photographer responded through
Instagram, saying, "I think it's fake news." Morenatti had no other
information about the viral couple.
Morenatti
had also tweeted the photograph on March 12, 2020, saying, "A couple kiss
at the Barcelona airport, Spain, Thursday, March 12, 2020. President Donald
Trump announces strict rules on restricting travel from much of Europe to begin
this weekend."
AFWA
checked Italian news websites regarding articles about a doctor couple who died
treating coronavirus patients but found none.
Hence,
it can be concluded that the viral image was shot at Barcelona airport in Spain
and not Italy. The melodramatic story of a doctor couple who died treating
Covid-19 patients could not be found in any credible Italian media either.
LINK
A couple kiss at the Barcelona airport, Spain, Thursday, March 12, 2020. President Donald Trump announces strict rules on restricting travel from much of Europe to begin this weekend. #COVID_19 #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/wZDZEprehU— Emilio Morenatti (@EmilioMorenatti) March 12, 2020
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