Malayalam TV celebrity Sadhika Venugopal. (Facebook/Sadhika Venugopal) Malayalam TV celebrity Sadhika Venugopal. (Facebook/Sadhika Venugopal)

The UNICEF has clarified that a Facebook post by Malayalam TV celebrity Sadhika Venugopal on the coronavirus outbreak is “fake” and that the agency is “not the author” of the news.

Taking to Twitter, UNICEF in Cambodia said, “We would like to inform our audiences that the news below attributed to UNICEF is fake. UNICEF Cambodia is NOT the author of this post. Stay informed by following UNICEF official platforms.”

We would like to inform our audiences that the news below attributed to UNICEF is fake. UNICEF Cambodia is NOT the author of this post. Stay informed by following UNICEF official platforms. For more information on #coronavirus, go to https://t.co/9F30DkELad pic.twitter.com/T0zXMYpMGS — UNICEF Cambodia (@UNICEFCambodia) March 5, 2020

On March 4, Venugopal had listed out a few measures to contain the virus and had attributed the same to the UN agency.

“The coronavirus is large in size with a cell diameter of 400-500 micro, so any mask prevents its entry so there is no need to exploit pharmacists to trade with muzzles. The virus does not settle in the air, but on the ground, so it is not transmitted by the air. The coronavirus, when it falls on a metal surface, will live for 12 hours, so washing hands with soap and water well will do the trick,” her post read.

“Coronavirus, when it falls on fabrics, stays for nine hours, so washing clothes or exposing them to the sun for two hours is enough for the purpose of killing him. The virus lives on the hands for 10 minutes so putting the alcohol sanitizer in the pocket is enough for the purpose of prevention,” it added.

The Facebook post further read: “If the virus is exposed to a temperature of 26-27°C, it will be killed, it does not live in hot areas. Also drinking hot water and exposure to the sun is good enough. Stay away from ice cream and cold food is important. Gargling with warm water and salt kills tonsils and prevents them from leaking into the lungs. Adhering to these instructions is sufficient to prevent the virus. UNICEF #UNICEF”.”

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On Monday, one fresh case was reported in Kerala. On Sunday, Health Minister K K Shailaja said that a family of three, which “did not report” for screening at the international airport in Kochi where they arrived on February 29 from Italy via Doha in Qatar, and two of their relatives have tested positive for coronavirus.

The minister said that all the five have been placed under isolation since Friday evening and “their condition is stable”. The latest cases are from Ranni in Pathanamthitta district although local health workers said the family — a 55-year-old man, his 53-year-old wife and and their 25-year-old son — was based in Italy. Their infected relatives include a 65-year-old man and his 58-year-old wife, officials said.

Kerala Health Department sources told The Indian Express: “The three landed on February 29 and skipped the mandatory health screening at the airport. From the next day, they had been moving about and meeting relatives. The couple’s son interacted with his friends, too. They were also at the office of the District SP for processing documents.”

Responding to the Kerala government’s charge, one member of the family of three detected with coronavirus claimed that they were not told about the preventive measure.

“At the Kochi airport, I told the immigration official that we are from Italy and returning home after four years. The official did not tell us that we should undergo screening for coronavirus. Hence, we came out. Will anyone deliberately skip such screening? When we left Italy, Covid-19 cases had just started being reported,’’ claimed the 25-year-old man, who has been detected with the virus along with his parents. Two of their relatives in Kerala have since been infected. The 25-year-old, who works as a paramedic, said that his family — his father (55), who works for a private company, and mother (53) — have been based in Italy for close to 20 years. They were visiting home after four years, he said.

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