Fact check: No spraying of medicine is happening in Bengaluru to kill coronavirus

Bengaluru, Mar 18: While the growing number of positive COVID-19 cases in Bengaluru is causing anxiety among many people, the spread of baseless rumours, has become a challenge for the authorities.

A fake message has been doing rounds on Whatsapp, which urges the citizens not to come out of the houses as their will be SPRAYING of medicine in the air in order to kill the COVID-19!!

"Good Afternoon, I kindly request everyone not to come out of your houses after 10 pm tonight till tomorrow 5 am.... as their will be SPRAYING of medicine in the air in order to kill the COVID-19!! Share this information to all your friends, relatives and your families... Thank you!", read the whatsapp message.

The message has been credited to Chief of Information, BBMP. However, it turned out to be a rumour as BBMP has not announced any such measures to avoid coronavirus.

The viral message started circulating on Tuesday evening has put the health department officials on their toes.

This comes a day after a study revealed that the novel coronavirus that has killed about 8,000 and infected 200,000 people worldwide stays infectious in aerosols for several hours and on surfaces for days.

Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes the Covid-19 disease, is detectable for up to three hours in aerosols, up to four hours on a copper surface, up to 24 hours on cardboard, and up to two-three days on plastic and stainless steel, found the study published in the peer-reviewed New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

Meanwhile, two more people have tested positive for coronavirus in Bengaluru, taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases in Karnataka to 13, with 10 cases in Bengaluru alone.

A 56-year-old man from the city, who had returned from the USA on March 6, tested positive. A 25-year-old woman, who had returned from a vacation to Spain was also tested positive. Minister Sriramulu said that the two persons have been kept at an isolation ward at a hospital in Bengaluru.