Image of couple at Barcelona airport shared as Italian doctors infected with coronavirus

Several social media users have posted an image of a couple, with medical masks undone, holding each other. It is being claimed that they are husband and wife working as doctors in Italy. “They worked day and night and saved the lives of 134 patients. But on the eighth day, they caught coronavirus,” reads the message.

इटली के यह दोनों पति पत्नी डॉ है और दोनों ने दिन रात लग कर 134 मरोजो को बचाया

लेकिन खुद 8 वे दिन कोरोना वायरस से बीमार हो गए और अलग अलग कमरे में शिफ्ट कर दिए गए
जब दोनों मिया बीवी डाक्टर को लगा कि हम बच नहीं पाएंगे

दोनों हॉस्पिटल के लांज में,खड़े होकर मुहब्बत भरी नज़रों से एक pic.twitter.com/fJJmxDlfDp

— Dr Monika Singh (@DrMonikaSingh_) March 23, 2020

The complete message is as follows: “इटली के यह दोनों पति पत्नी डॉ है और दोनों ने दिन रात लग कर 134 मरोजो को बचाया! लेकिन खुद 8 वे दिन कोरोना वायरस से बीमार हो गए और अलग अलग कमरे में शिफ्ट कर दिए गए! जब दोनों मिया बीवी डाक्टर को लगा कि हम बच नहीं पाएंगे! दोनों हॉस्पिटल के लांज में,खड़े होकर मुहब्बत भरी नज़रों से.”

Several Twitter users tweeted the viral image along with the claim. Alt News also received several requests to fact-check the images on WhatsApp (+91 76000 11160) and on our official Android application.

Fact-check

Alt News performed a reverse image search on TinEye and found that the photograph was clicked by Emilio Morenatti for Associated Press on March 12. According to the caption, the image shows a man and a woman kissing at Barcelona airport on March 12, 2020. “President Donald Trump, who had downplayed the coronavirus for weeks, suddenly struck a different tone, announcing strict rules on restricting travel from much of Europe to begin this weekend,” per the description.

This image was carried by several media outlets including Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe and Fox Tribune.

Thus the social media claim associated with the viral image is false and misleading. They are not Italian doctors who caught coronavirus infection after treating over 100 patients.