Old Video Of COVID-19 Restrictions In Karnataka Viral As Recent

A video from March 2020 of Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddiyurappa announcing week long restrictions in the state is viral as recent measures.

The 2.20 minutes video is from a press conference held by CM Yeddiyurappa on March 13, 2020 where he said that nightclubs, pubs, theatres and malls will be shut and any large gathering events including weddings, sports tournaments will not be allowed to be held.

The video is viral on WhatsApp claiming its a recent measure taken by the Karnataka government to curb the rising number of cases.

BOOM received it on its tipline number asking if its recent.

In the video, Yeddiyurappa can be heard announcing various restrictions including closing down of public places, events for a week and asking people to avoid travel unless absolute necessary. He further says all educational institutions including schools will be shut across the state. He adds, "the measures have been taken after consultations with doctors and medical experts from the state. The situation will be apprised and further changes made after a week."

Yeddiyurappa also refers to a case in Kalaburagi district where a man who is said to have come in contact with 46 people, died after testing positive.

FACT CHECK

We ran a search for the Kalaburagi incident mentioned by the chief minister and found news reports from March 13, 2020. The patient a 76-year-old who had returned from Saudi Arabia had tested positive and became the country's first reported death due to COVID-19.

We found news reports of the incident from March 12, 2020 which shows that the video is not recent.

Further, we noticed the logo of NewsFirst Kannada on the ticker in the video and a search for keywords like mall and pubs closed in Karnataka with the name of the channel, showed the same video uploaded on Facebook. The video published by the local channel is captioned "Mall, Theatre, School will be shut for A Week in Karnataka" and was published on on March 13, 2020.

Additionally, the man sitting on the left of Yediyurappa, is B Sriramulu, the then health minister of Karnataka. Sriramulu is no longer the health minister and handles Social Welfare portfolio.

According to media reports, the state has not announced any recent restrictions on the functioning of public spaces including malls, pubs and theatres. With the state reporting a rise in cases and new areas marked as containment zones, Yediyurappa held a review meeting for the same. Post the meeting, he told reporters that an expert committee has asked for a stricter enforcement of safety precautions including social distancing and increasing the testing rate.