Fact Check: Social media users share old photos of mask-less Biden, Harris with false claims
By Newsmeter Network Published on 25 Aug 2020 7:30 AM GMT
Hyderabad: Several social media users have claimed that Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris violated public health recommendations and attended a public event without masks. A photo of the two, along with Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Sen. Cory Booker, at a crowded campaign rally without any masks have been doing the rounds.
A Facebook user posted the photo and wrote, "hmmmmm no one has a mask on!!!!!! Wake up people! (sic)".
Another user wrote, "Not a mask in sight. Tell me again why we are being forced to wear one." This post has been shared 955 times.
Fact Check:
The claim is FALSE and the photos are from March 2020.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Democratic National Convention this week was a virtual affair. However, social media users started sharing old photos of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, with false claims.
According to C-SPAN, the photos are from a rally held in Detroit, Michigan, on 9 March 2020 where Mr. Biden spoke about the importance of winning the state of Michigan in the 10 March primary and highlighted the issues most important to his campaign.
On 9 March, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had not yet recommended the use of face masks except for those who were sick or treating someone who was ill. It was only in April 2020 that the CDC issued guidelines recommending the use of face masks in public places.
Hence, the claim that Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris violated norms and attended a public event without face masks is FALSE. The photo of the two was taken during a March rally when face masks had not been made mandatory yet.
This fact check has been published as part of the Internews Information Saves Lives: Rapid Response Fund project to NewsMeter
