An image of an unidentified couple at Barcelona airport is viral on social media with false claims that they are Italian doctors who died while treating COVID-19 patients
The image shows the couple, sharing a close moment, after removing their masks.
BOOM found that the image is not related to Italy, and was clicked at the Barcelona airport in Spain early last week.
The Facebook post has been captioned as,'' The last kiss. This is the picture of two top doctors of Italy ! They r also husband and wife. They have fought against covid-19 for about 20 days !!!! They saved many lives. Bt they found out that they also have covid-19 and they would both die. So this was the last kiss of them! After one hour they both died.''
The post is archived here.
The image has also been shared on Twitter. The tweet is archived viral on Facebook with the same claim in Bengali.
They are both doctors in Italy but they are no longer alive. They saved 160+ lives. And they died of the corona virus at the last moment. This is the picture of their last kiss.🥺😔😔 #COVIDIOTS #Covid_19india #Covid19India pic.twitter.com/cUQzXfApky
— Mr Suvom (@MrSuvom) March 23, 2020
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Italy has become the new epicenter of the novel Coronavirus disease with as many as 6820 deaths. The staggering numbers are the most for a single country right now. Italy has been under a strict lockdown after the outbreak.
Fact Check
BOOM ran a reverse search and found that the image was clicked on March 12, at the Barcelona Airport.
The photograph is an international wire agency, Associated Press picture, taken by photojournalist Emilio Morenatti. The US President, Donald Trump had sanctioned a travel ban from Europe after the COVID-19 outbreak in the first week of March.
The image was captioned as, "A couple kiss, at the Barcelona airport, Spain, Thursday, March 12, 2020. President Donald Trump, who had downplayed the coronavirus for weeks, suddenly struck a different tone, announcing strict rules on restricting travel from much of Europe to begin this weekend. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia." The image is available on AP Images here.
The image has been used here and here to report about the Coronavirus outbreak in Spain. The country has reported 3434 deaths so far.
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