Video Of A Child Being Separated From Her Father Is Unrelated To Coronavirus
The Claim
Australian police are separating children who test positive for coronavirus from their parents, and it has been captured on video.
News posted on
Emerging story
In mid-August, social media users began posting a video claiming to show Australian police separating a child from their parents because the child had tested positive for COVID-19. This video begins with what appears to be a father and daughter hugging while police and medical officials in PPE watch. The officials then attempt to separate the child from the father. Eventually, the two are separated, and the police force the father to the ground.
This video gained significant attention when former cricket player Kevin Pietersen retweeted it. This tweet alone has gained thousands of interactions. The video has also been highlighted as a case of coronavirus-related child separation by other verified Twitter accounts, such as EHA News.
Misbar’s Analysis
It is false to claim that this video is related to coronavirus. Shortly after the video surfaced, one of Australia’s largest news websites reached out to the Victoria Police Department for information. This department stated that the video showed their officers assisting in a family-related incident. They added that the incident had nothing to do with coronavirus and that the nurses in the video were present for reasons other than a case of COVID-19. The police department did not provide further details due to a wish to respect the privacy of the individuals in the video.
The Victoria Police Twitter account repeated this message to Pietersen’s tweet just over one hour after it was first posted. However, Pietersen has not removed the tweet in the days following the incident.
We could find no evidence to back up the claim that the child in the video was being separated due to a positive COVID-19 test. The only implication that the video has anything to do with coronavirus is the fact that some of the people are wearing PPE. But as the Victoria Police have explained, the people who are heavily dressed in PPE are nurses, meaning they would be wearing PPE regardless of a case of COVID-19 affecting anyone present.
