Delhi Police issues advisory ahead of April Fool's Day; urges people not to spread rumours

The South Delhi Police on Tuesday issued a strict warning to people against spreading rumours on social media under the guise of April Fool's Day at this sensitive time when the country is facing turmoil due to COVID-19 pandemic. April Fool's Day is marked on April 1 and people often take this day to crack jokes and play tricks to fool others.

However, noting the struggles in dealing with accurate information about Coronavirus on social media, the Delhi Police said that strict action will be taken against anyone who spreads rumours on social media.

"Please note: Do not try to spread rumours on social media under the cover of April Fool's Day. Such activities will be strictly dealt with," DCP of South Delhi notified in a tweet.

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Google scraps April Fool's Day plans this year

Google has reportedly announced that it is cancelling its 2020 April Fool's Day plans due to Coronavirus pandemic in an email obtained by a news media outlet. It declared that there wouldn’t be any pranks in view of helping those battling with the crisis with accurate information, and paying tribute to the many lives lost to the COVID-19 disease. The management encouraged the staff to refrain from jokes in an email amid the time of hardships, as per the media report. 

A public relations expert at Google was quoted as saying that April Fool’s Day pranks might be viewed as insensitive in such challenging times when the health professionals were exhausted at their capacity. There were deaths and devastation from the novel Coronavirus, he added.

At the time, when the public was desperately looking for information on the virus, health, and wellbeing, any attempt at jokes can result in misleading people and damage the brand’s reputation, the PR expert reportedly said.

Last year, the company made at least four announcements to celebrate the occasion.

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