As COVID-19 cases are spiking nationwide, strict guidelines have been issued for people to follow COVID appropriate behaviour. In that context, a photo of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal helping a kid wear a face mask without wearing one himself has gone viral, drawing severe criticism on social media.
The claim
The photo of Kejriwal sharing the stage with Deputy CM Manish Sisodia while helping a young kid wear a face mask has gone viral for all the wrong reasons. In the photo, both CM and Dy CM can be seen without a face mask, which is in violation of the COVID protocols. Wearing face masks in public is mandatory as per the central government and flouting it not only attracts a fine but also increases the risk of COVID circulation.
Kejriwal's photo went viral on social media after former Nagpur mayor Sandip Joshi shared it on his Twitter account and wrote: "Teen bagair mask ke vidvaan bachche ko mask lagana sikha rahe hain (three geniuses without a mask are teaching a kid how to wear one)." Another BJP leader from Gaya, Hari Manjhi also tweeted the pic and said: "Updesh dusro ke liye hai (lectures are reserved for others)."
Following this, the picture was shared with several users with criticizing comments towards the Delhi CM.
Fact check
International Business Times reviewed the claim made by BJP leaders among other users. The photo in question is an old one, as revealed by a simple image reverse web search. To be precise, the photo was taken in 2019, just before the COVID pandemic hit the world and face masks became an extension of ourselves.
Even the Aam Aadmi Party had shared the viral photo, along with other photos from the event that took place in November 2019. Kejriwal was distributing face masks as a part of mask distribution drive in Delhi schools to protect children from hazardous levels of pollution in the city during winters.
It is clear by this that the photo of maskless Kejriwal helping a kid wear a face mask is old and not related to COVID.
