Helicopters Are Spraying Disinfectants To Try To Eradicate coronavirus.
The claim has appeared on multiple platforms, including a post (archived here) published on Facebook by Fanny Garcia-Torres on March 21, 2020. It opened:, Users on social media only saw this:, , The posts have been copied and pasted countless times, and many of them featured the same misspelling of coronavirus (spelled in the posts as coranavirus)., "Here is just a sampling of countries and territories in which the posts and text messages have appeared (and the links to official denials in the countrys media or on official government websites): Switzerland, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Nepal, and Puerto Rico.", A spokesperson for the Department of State of Puerto Rico denied the authenticity of a WhatsApp message that has been widely divulged among residents. According to the message, whose origin has not been confirmed, the government had scheduled a mass disinfecting spree tonight by aerial means in order to stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) "Tonight as of 11:00 p.m., , It took a few days, but the false rumor has made its way to the United States, prompting the New York City Emergency Management to issue a tweet:, NYC is aware of a rumor circulating regarding the spraying of disinfectant from helicopters in parts of Brooklyn, including Williamsburg and Borough Park. This rumor is FALSE. Trust Notify NYC for verified information about COVID-19 in NYC., , There is currently no known cure or vaccine to prevent the novel coronavirus. As of March 22, 2020, the virus has killed at least 13,000 people around the world, according to CBS News., The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises the best way to prevent illness is to avoid close contact with others. The CDC also suggests cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces daily., Still, spraying disinfectants from helicopters would be a highly inefficient exercise and defies common sense. The claim is a hoax., Concerns about the novel coronavirus pandemic have generated an onslaught of misinformation. Hoaxers are capitalizing on this moment of international concern to spread falsehoods and create unnecessary panic. This is just one of the latest false rumors to circulate online., Other fact checks by Lead Stories concerning coronavirus misinformation include:, , See who is sharing it (it might even be your friends...) and leave the link in the comments.:, Lead Stories is working with the CoronaVirusFacts/DatosCoronaVirus Alliance, a coalition of more than 100 fact-checkers who are fighting misinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more about the alliance here., "Ryan Cooper, a staff writer and fact-checker for Lead Stories, is the former Director of Programming at CNN International, where he helped shape the networks daily newscasts broadcast to more than 280 million households around the world. He was based at the networks Los Angeles Bureau. There, he managed the team responsible for a three-hour nightly program,\xa0Newsroom LA.", "Formerly, he worked at the headquarters in Atlanta, and he spent four years at the London bureau. An award-winning producer, Cooper oversaw the networks Emmy Award-winning coverage of the uprising in Egypt in 2011. He also served as a supervising producer during much of the networks live reporting on the Israel-Hezbollah conflict in 2006, for which CNN received an Edward R. Murrow Award.", Lead Stories is a fact checking website that is always looking for the latest false, deceptive or\n      inaccurate stories (or media) making the rounds on the internet.\n      \n      Spotted something? Let us know!., Lead Stories is a fact checking website that is always looking for the latest false, deceptive or\n        inaccurate stories (or media) making the rounds on the internet.\n        \n        Spotted something? Let us know!.
Fact Check: Helicopters Are NOT Spraying Disinfectants To Try To Eradicate Coronavirus | Lead Stories