Claim:
Italy has surrendered to the Coronavirus pandemic as all the measures to control Covid-19 have been exhausted.
Verification:
With the number of cases surging across the globe, governments are leaving no stones unturned to facilitate conditions for social distancing. However, with the rise in the number of cases, there is a surge in the number of rumor-mongering messages and graphics across various social media platforms.
Among them, a graphic containing a quote from Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, claims that Italy has surrendered to the Coronavirus pandemic as all the measures to control Covid-19 have been exhausted.
The graphic text reads, “The Prime Minister there says: Our control is gone. Infectious disease is killing us. All the possible relief on the earth is over.”
We found that this claim has appeared in various forms on social media, from text posts to screenshots, along with a picture. Several readers also sent the claim to Newschecker’s WhatsApp helpline number for verification.
Fact Check:
As we began fact-checking the claim, we found that the graphics doing rounds on social media claims that the comments were made by the Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, whereas the picture on the left side of the graphic is of Sergio Mattarella, who is Italy’s President. In the comparison posted below, Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella is on the left, while Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is on the right.
Now, we started fact-checking the claim whether Italy’s Prime Minister or President gave any statement of losing all the hope and surrendering themselves to cope with the novel coronavirus. We looked for media reports or any official statement but did not find any authentic information to corroborate. We also checked the Italian Prime Minister and President’s official Twitter handles and websites but did not see any such statement given by PM Giuseppe. However, during our search, we found a Twitter post by Giuseppe encouraging and motivating the Italians to fight against the Covid-19.
159 anni fa veniva proclamata l’Unità d’Italia. Da allora il nostro Paese ha affrontato mille difficoltà, guerre mondiali, il regime fascista. Ma gli italiani, con orgoglio e determinazione, hanno sempre saputo rialzarsi e ripartire. A testa alta.
— Giuseppe Conte (@GiuseppeConteIT) March 17, 2020
Also, we found recent statements by Giuseppe Conte on the country’s coronavirus. According to a report published on the website of the Italian government’s Presidency of the Council of Ministers, PM Giuseppe said,”We are giving up the most expensive habits, we do it because we love Italy, but we do not give up courage and hope in the future. United, we will do it”.
Conclusion:
It is evident from our fact check that the graphics and statements doing rounds on social media claiming that the Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has surrendered to the coronavirus pandemic are misleading.
Result: False
Sources
Google Search
Media Reports
Twitter Search
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