Facebook announces ban on ads spreading fake news related to coronavirus

Facebook on February 26 announced that it will be taking concrete steps to clamp down on advertisements with false information concerning the deadly coronavirus. According to reports, the social media giant said that it will also tackle advertisements that feature products like face masks and imply its short supply, in order to create a 'sense of urgency'.

Ads on the platform that promote products that are 100 per cent guaranteed to prevent the spread of the virus will also be targeted. According to sources, the ban went into effect from this week. The social media platform had previously banned ads that promoted fake cures like drinking bleach which spreads conspiracy theories about the virus or discourages people from seeking medical treatment.

According to reports, this decision by Facebook comes after the World Health Organisation claimed that the number of new cases around the world had exceeded the number of new cases in mainland China on Tuesday. 

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San Francisco declares emergency

The city of San Francisco has declared a state of emergency over the deadly coronavirus outbreak. Recently, health officials in the United States warned that the spread of coronavirus across the United States was highly likely as per reports. The emergency was declared by the city's mayor, London Breed, on Tuesday.

According to reports, Breed said that the virus has been spreading rapidly to new parts of the world and that steps were absolutely necessary in order to protect San Franciscans from harm. She added that in light of the rapidly changing situation surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak, there needed to be an increase in the level of preparedness. As per reports, there have been no reported cases of coronavirus in San Francisco yet, but the global tally of those infected by the virus has crossed 80,000. The majority of these cases are in mainland China. 

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