By: Annie Priya
May 12 2020
False: Chinese President Xi Jinping has been visiting mosques to offer special prayers to protect China from the national disaster of Coronavirus.
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Fact-Check
The Verdict False
The video of President Xi Jinping visiting the mosque in Northwest China was uploaded in July 2016 and is not related to the 2019 novel coronavirus.
Claim ID aa24104b
The video of President Xi Jinping visiting the mosque in Northwest China was uploaded in July 2016 and is not related to the 2019 novel coronavirus.Videos and images have been shared on social media claiming that Chinese President Xi Jinping praying at a mosque following the novel coronavirus outbreak. The official YouTube channel of Chinese news agency CCTV+ uploaded a video on 20 July 2016. The video title states that the Chinese President Xi Jinping visits the big mosque in northwest China. The video also states that President Xi Jinping paid a special visit to the Xincheng Mosque in Yinchuan City, during his current fact-finding tour of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in northwest China. Hence it is concluded that the images of President Xi Jinping visiting the mosques is of July 2016 and it is not connected to the recent Coronavirus outbreak in China. The old pictures of Xi Jinping are re-circulating on social media with a false claim. The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19 including symptoms, prevention and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organisation or your national healthcare authority.