Infodemic: How Covid-19 has affected childbirth around the world and endangered turtles in Oman
Welcome. We are tracking how disinformation is shaping the world during the Covid-19 pandemic. Today, from Japan to Oman, Coda’s Katia Patin brings you the latest narratives — both real and fake — that have grabbed our attention and deserve yours.
In Lebanon another partial lockdown began on Friday, as daily coronavirus case numbers have nearly tripled in the aftermath of the Beirut explosion. But not everyone agrees on the government’s true motives for the new restrictions. Some critics believe they are being imposed to prevent demonstrations after the blast, for which many hold state negligence to blame. "Fear is a strong and dangerous political tool that was used earlier in the pandemic, and it's being used after the explosion,” Karim Nammour, a board member at the Beirut non-profit Legal Agenda, told one reporter.
In Myanmar, authorities are blaming a recent spike in coronavirus cases on Rohingya refugees. In a Facebook post that was later deleted, a member of Rakhine state parliament attributed new cases to displaced people. Officials who visited camps, where up to 10 families often share a single house, urged people to socially distance. Last week, the regional capital of Sittwe was locked down after recording 48 new cases — 10% of the national total.
Hungary has dropped criminal proceedings against a group of Iranian students who had already been deported from the country in April for allegedly violating quarantine rules. Authorities have said that a residence ban will be lifted, allowing the students to return. They had been used as scapegoats by state-controlled media and during government briefings, as Prime Minister Viktor Orban directly linked the spread of coronavirus in the country to Muslim migration.