Fact Check: Image of Kejriwal distributing masks to schoolchildren was taken before pandemic started
Netizens claim that Kejriwal was not following the safety measures of wearing a mask but was “making the kids wear a mask”.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 7 April 2021 3:56 AM GMT
Hyderabad: An image of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal distributing masks to schoolchildren has gone viral with the false claim that the image was photographed recently during the COVID-19 pandemic. Netizens claim that Kejriwal was not following the safety measures of wearing a mask but was "making the kids wear a mask".
The claim upon translation read," Without a mask, the scholars are teaching the child to wear a mask."
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NewsMeter found that the claim is fake as the image was taken in November 2019, much before the pandemic started.
Fact Check
We performed a reverse image search and found a news report by India Today from November 2019. The article mentioned that Kejriwal along with Deputy Chief Minister and Education Minister Manish Sisodia distributed masks to schoolchildren in New Delhi.
The same was also reported by India TV News and The Print. "Kejriwal distributed masks to schoolchildren as part of the government's initiative to protect them from pollution and he also explained about stubble burning to them."
Furthermore, in November 2019 Kejriwal tweeted about the initiative and wrote that the Delhi government distributed "50 lakh masks".
Moreover, the first COVID-19 case in India was reported on 27 January 2020.
Clearly, an image from 2019 is being shared with the false claim that Kejriwal was distributing masks to schoolchildren without wearing one.
