The whole world is struggling hard to contain the Pandemic caused by COVID19. India too is passing through the lockdown phase, which is now extended till 30th April 2020. Now, along with the lockdown, rumors and misleading information are also doing rounds creating confusion and depression at times.
In Kolkata a misleading information has been doing rounds on social media platforms particularly on WhatsApp, which says number of wards will be sealed for next two weeks, the message further specified certain areas as Hotspot locations.
News Sense Fact Check Team also received several inquiries asking the authenticity of the message, so we decided to debunk the information and to find out whether the message is fake or real. As the message cites Kolkata Municipal Corporation and identifies the location with the map of Kolkata. So we directly reached out to Mr. Firhad Hakim, Mayor, Kolkata Municipal Corporation and spoke to him in details.
Speaking to News Sense Editor Joydeep Dasgupta, Kolkata Mayor, Mr. Firhad Hakim said, “I also have come to know that such a message is doing rounds on social media and we also want to clarify everyone that the entire city Kolkata is following the lockdown and we have not identified the said areas as sealed. We are working with the guidance of Health Department and as per their suggestions time to time we are concentrating on the areas, which needs special attention“.
Thus, it is clear that the message which is doing round on social media is FAKE, but we must remain alert and abide by the guidelines set by the state government and local police. So that we can overcome the phase as early as possible and back to normalcy.
NB: Don’t share or forward any misleading information on your social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp, by doing so you are also becoming someone, who is creating panic and confusion among the larger mass and this is a punishable offense.
