There’s a lot of panic about the coronavirus right now, as there should be! It’s being handled badly, spreading quickly, and it doesn’t seem like anyone knows what to do about it. Except wash their hands. Definitely do that, as much as possible, and don’t touch your face if you haven’t recently washed your hands.
With all this justified anxiety, it’s nice to just have a laugh once in a while, and the coronavirus has its moments. For example, this reported story from U.K. publication the Sunday Sport. It’s supposedly a tale about two tourists being held in quarantine who tried to make a break for it. They were stopped when authorities noticed their bright red faces contrasting with unburnt skin shaped exactly like face masks.
The story ends on an upbeat note: the couple returned to quarantine and are healthy and whole.
Coronavirus masks ruined our holiday tans! Shocking images only in Sunday Sport this week. pic.twitter.com/6edmHGLCXM
— Sunday Sport (@thesundaysport) February 28, 2020
Except, of course, it’s all fake. Which c’mon, look at their faces, obviously it’s fake:
But the fakeness was confirmed when a man calling himself Sammy Lazurus tweeted, “Top notch journalism from @thesundaysport here. Except this is an old photo of my Nanny & Grandad (taken in California), with fake names, a fake story and photoshopped faces. Nan is delighted she passes for 69 though.”
Top notch journalism from @thesundaysport here. Except this is an old photo of my Nanny & Grandad (taken in California), with fake names, a fake story and photoshopped faces. Nan is delighted she passes for 69 though. https://t.co/QfUoIfWAtT
— Sammy Lazarus (@iamsammylazarus) February 29, 2020
His Twitter bio currently reads, “Ted & Marcia’s grandson.”
Could Sammy be lying as well? Maybe, but he shared a picture of what appears to be the exact same couple, joking @ing the paper and asking, “Hey @thesundaysport, can your graphic designer get in touch? Nanny is going to a bar mitzvah next weekend and needs her fake tan doing.”
Hey @thesundaysport, can your graphic designer get in touch? Nanny is going to a bar mitzvah next weekend and needs her fake tan doing. pic.twitter.com/yvlKKvOmla
— Sammy Lazarus (@iamsammylazarus) March 1, 2020
A lot of people are shocked that the magazine would try to get away with something like this, stealing pictures and spreading lies about coronavirus:
My dad took it. So crazy haha
— Sammy Lazarus (@iamsammylazarus) March 1, 2020
Hahahahahaha
— Sammy Lazarus (@iamsammylazarus) March 1, 2020
I hope your nanny and grandad sue them into oblivion then go on a great trip with the proceeds
— Queue jumper on a bike (@Nicovel0) March 2, 2020
Some were upset the publication exploited the fear of coronavirus, but the Sunday Sport had a shameless response to this criticism:
Yes. Scraping the bottom of the barrel would be a huge step up for us.
— Sunday Sport (@thesundaysport) March 2, 2020
But I personally think that the responses on the Sunday Sport‘s original tweet are more shocking because a lot of people believe them:
If real, it’s well deserved! 😂 they were both willing to potentially infect and kill thousands because they were bored and wanted to come home. How selfish 😂
— Barry Paterson (@MMBaazz) February 29, 2020
Looks like the coronavirus may have saved them from melanomas on the nose!
— Messy Jez (@messyjez) February 29, 2020
They protected themself from a virus by getting skin cancer
— Mehstix (@Mehstix) February 29, 2020
That’s what I thought until I read the comments under the article! Haha
— Sammy Lazarus (@iamsammylazarus) March 1, 2020
Okay, it’s not funny again!