FACT CHECK: Does This Photo Show Jacksonville Beach After It Reopened This Month?

Jonathan Fonti | Fact Check Reporter

An image shared on Facebook purportedly shows thousands of people packed onto Florida’s Jacksonville Beach after it reopened earlier this month.

Verdict: False

The photo shows a mass held by Pope Francis in Rio de Janeiro in 2013. CNN’s logo has been superimposed into the image.

Fact Check:

The major of Jacksonville announced that the beaches would reopen on April 17 in Duval County, where Jacksonville is located.  Multiple Facebook users shared the same photo of a packed beach with CNN’s logo, claiming it showed the newly reopened Jacksonville Beach, which had previously been closed in an effort to curb the spread of coronavirus.

The photo features mountains in the background, immediately making the post suspect. Florida does not have any mountain ranges. (RELATED: Is Florida’s Border ‘Officially Closed,’ As This Viral Post Claims?)

Through a reverse image search, the Daily Caller discovered that the photo actually shows Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Agence France-Press stringer Tasso Marcelo took the picture at a mass held by Pope Francis during his visit to the country in July 2013, according to its caption. CNN’s logo has been superimposed into the image.

At the time of publication, the new coronavirus has sickened more than 32,000 people and killed some 1,100 others in Florida, according to the Florida Department of Health website.

Jonathan Fonti

Fact Check Reporter
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