As COVID-19 cases are again surging in the country, a short clip from an ABP news report is being widely shared on social media platforms showing Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal announcing a lockdown in the Union Territory till 31 March has gone viral on social media. 

A Facebook user shared the video with the caption saying 'Lockdown in Delhi.'

Another user shared the video saying, "Kejriwal announces complete lockdown in Delhi from 6 am tomorrow till 31st March. #lockdown2021 #delhi."

The truth behind the claim 

In our investigation, we found this claim to be false. The viral short clip dates back to March 2020 and no such announcement has been made by the Delhi government.

We did not find any credible report about the announcement of the lockdown imposition in Delhi till March 31. 

On performing a relevant keyword search, we found the original ABP News bulletin on its YouTube channel uploaded on 22 March 2020. On March 22, The Delhi Chief Minister and Lieutenant Governor held a press conference and announced a lockdown from 6 am on 23 March to midnight on 31 March.

We also came across recent reports about Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain's statement on Saturday, 27 March, in which he confirmed that there is no possibility of a lockdown. He said, “First it was said that it’s a 14-day cycle between infection and recovery. Experts said if all activities close for 21 days, it won’t spread. Lockdown was extended, but it didn’t stop (the spread) completely. So, I don’t think lockdown is the solution.”

Therefore, a short video clip of an old ABP news report from March 2020 is being shared with a false claim that lockdown has been imposed in Delhi till March 31.