This Facebook post purportedly shows a photo of bodies of people who have died of COVID-19 lined up on the ground. A woman is seen carrying one of the supposed bodies with one hand, much to the amusement of the Facebook user who posted it and those in the comment section.
Part of the caption reads, ‘…Notice the incredibly strong woman carrying a body with one hand, and notice the bag doesn’t rip either’ revealing doubts about the supposed deaths from the virus.
Background
COVID-19 has so far infected over 7 million people and killed over 400,000 globally. Over 2 million of the total confirmed cases are from the United States, which has also recorded the highest number of deaths so far (stay up to date with the ever-changing numbers via our COVID-19 tracking page). The Internet has not been short of images and videos of body bags and bodies purportedly showing COVID-19 victims who have succumbed to the virus since the outbreak.
Verification
A Google reverse image search reveals that the photo is actually from a mock funeral protest. It appeared in this article on a Spanish site dated May 28, 2020, which attributes the photo to one Cristóbal Herrera in the caption as seen in the screenshot below:
A Google search for the name Cristóbal Herrera further reveals that the original photo was published on the European Press Photo Agency (EPA) website on May 27, 2020.
The caption gives details of the photo in the caption as copied below:
An activist carries bags, representing dead bodies during a symbolic funeral to protest against the economy reopening without Coronavirus relief in the Torch of Friendship Park, in Downtown Miami, Florida, USA, 27 May 2020. Some symbolic funeral processions are holding, by community members and social activists all over Florida, including cities like Miami, Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa, to honour the lives lost due to COVID-19, and to hold Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis and USA President Donald Trump responsible for their recklessness and inaction. EPA-EFE/CRISTOBAL HERRERA
Similar mock funeral protests have been witnessed in Georgia and Washington DC.
Verdict
The photo in circulation shows a mock funeral protest in Miami, making the claim FALSE.
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