President of Italy was seen crying over situations due to the coronavirus.

The image is of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro which has been circulated in social media claiming to be of the Italian president.

A Facebook user on 21 March 2020 posted a crying image of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro which has been circulated in social media since then with a message that the Italian President was seen crying over situations due to COVID-19.

YouTube video by Planalto on 17 December 2019 shows that Bolsonaro was in tears at an evangelical thanksgiving service in Brazil at the Palacio do Planalto and an image from the same event has been resurfaced with claims misidentifying him as the head of Italy.

The Biography of Italy President published by the Ministry of Defence shows the image of the Italian President Sergio Mattarella.

The Italian President Sergio Mattarella on his official website has not given any statement regarding the situation due to COVID-19.

Thus, we conclude that the man seen crying in the viral picture is Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and not Italian President Sergio Mattarella. Also, the picture was taken in December 2019 and has no relation to COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19 including symptoms, prevention and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organisation or your national healthcare authority.

Reference links

YouTube

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Ministry of Defence of the Italian Republic

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Quirinale

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