Malls, restaurants not opening in UP from June 8, viral video is old
A video of the current additional chief secretary for the government of Uttar Pradesh, Avnish Awasthi, explaining lockdown relaxation guidelines in the state has been circulating on WhatsApp.
By Tejal Sinha Published on 29 May 2021 4:56 AM GMT
Hyderabad: A video of Uttar Pradesh additional chief secretary Avnish Awasthi announcing the relaxation in lockdown in the state is circulating on WhatsApp.
In the video, he is heard saying that malls, religious sites, hotels, and restaurants will start opening from June 8. He said employees can go to their offices where they will work alternatively in three shifts and social distancing should be maintained at the workplace.
Fact Check
The video is creating misinformation. NewsMeter found that the date on the top right corner of the video is 31 May. Hence, it cannot be a recent video. Secondly, the background of this video is different from the current background of the ABP channel.
Comparison of the background with today's news aired on ABP News YouTube channel
By doing a keyword search on YouTube, NewsMeter found that the video was uploaded on ABP's YouTube channel 11 months ago and had garnered 322k views.
A current report by the Mint read that, "Uttar Pradesh government extends Covid curfew till May 31."
Another current report by India.com states that it must be noted that the particle corona curfew in the state was extended till May 31 owing to the rising Covid cases in the state. The report also suggested that several lockdown restrictions will be relaxed in Uttar Pradesh, but those strict measures will be in place in the containment zones. The most important thing to note is that the decision on unlocking in Uttar Pradesh will be taken in the next 24 hours.
Meanwhile, NewsMeter also found reports by the Mint, The Indian Express, and the NDTV that were published in 2020 that stated the government had allowed malls, restaurants, and hotels to reopen from June 8.
Evidently, the video that says malls, places of worship, restaurants, and hotels will open from June 8 in UP is misleading. It is an old video.
