Disinfo: Areas most affected by coronavirus are at the 40 degrees north latitude

Summary

Isn’t it strange that the areas most affected by the coronavirus are at the same latitude? About 40 degrees north latitude. Is it a coincidence or some mysterious artificial influence?

Disproof

Conspiracy theory with no evidence given. One of many recurring disinformation narratives about the outbreak of COVID-19 coronavirus. On March 12, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, chairperson and managing director of Biocon tweeted a viral image (archive link). Several users have shared on Twitter and Facebook. The viral claim lists four cities – Wuhan, Seattle, Washington and New York along with five countries – France, Italy, Iran, South Korea and Japan while claiming that “all worst affected coronavirus [Covid 19] cases are along the same Latitude 40°.” It is important to keep in mind that, according to the US Geological Survey, at 38 degrees north latitude one degree of latitude is around 69 miles (111 kilometres). Therefore, large countries cannot be represented by a single latitude. Read further debunking here and here. Apart from that, coronavirus has already been detected in more than 180 countries all over the world.

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livenews.am (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 189
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 18/03/2020
  • Outlet language(s) Armenian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: China, Iran, Italy, France
  • Keywords: coronavirus, Conspiracy theory
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Disinfo: The coronavirus pandemic is a turning point in history: world order is falling

The world coronavirus pandemic is a turning point in world history. Not only are stock indices and oil prices collapsing, the world order itself is falling. We are living in the period of the end of liberalism and its “obviousness” as global meta-narrative, the end of its measures and standards. Human societies will soon become free floating: no more dogmas, no more dollar-imperialism, no more free market spells, no more Fed dictatorship or global stock exchanges, no more subservience to the world media elite. Each pole will build its future on its own civilizational foundations. It is obviously impossible to say what this will look like or what it will lead to. However, it is already clear that the old world order is becoming a thing of the past, and quite distinct contours of a new reality are emerging before us. What neither ideologies, nor wars, nor fierce economic battles, nor terror, nor religious movements have been able to do, has been accomplished by an invisible, yet deadly virus. It brought with it death, pain, horror, panic, sorrow… but also the future.

Mar 17, 2020
Disproof

The COVID-19 outbreak is a serious challenge to many countries, but there is no foundation for the claim that it will lead to a new world order. See more examples of pro-Kremlin disinformation about the coronavirus.

Disinfo: Panic in Ukraine due to coronavirus, metro banned in Lviv

In Ukraine, there is panic due to coronavirus. The country’s government imposed quarantine and banned Ukraine’s metros from working, announced President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The metro was closed, including in Lviv (western Ukraine).

Mar 17, 2020
Disproof

Indeed, temporary quarantine has been introduced in Ukraine, just like in many other countries, due to the rapid spread of coronavirus worldwide. However, Lviv does not have, and never has had, a metro. Metro systems in Ukraine can be found only in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Dnipro. The "Lviv Metro" is a well-known Internet meme in Ukraine that makes fun of Russian chauvinism and Ukrainophobia. According to a legend, it was built "by Bandera during the Nazi occupation of the city during WWII using Russian slave labour, and its lines are in the shape of a trident." Russian media periodically publish fake news about the Lviv metro. For example, in the summer of 2018, they reported that "a monster unknown to science was caught in the Lviv metro." Read a similar case that Stepan Bandera was an agent for Hitler.