How the coronavirus outbreak stopped April Fool's Day jokes... almost
Normally, today is a day spent dodging fake news, wind-ups and elaborate pranks. But these are not normal times and it appears April Fool's Day has become the latest coronavirus victim.
While some traditionalists remained true and tried to trick the nation, others made a point of not taking part given the gravity of the global pandemic.
And some went even further - threatening to jail people if they tried an April Fool's joke.
The traditionalists
Daily local paper The Argus, based in Brighton, is renowned for its humour.
Gaining notoriety for its comedy a-boards including "Mystery of restaurant's exploding teatowels", written by The Telegraph's own senior journalist Bill Gardner, and "drunk woman stuck in cattle grid", written by The Telegraph's Breaking News Editor Gareth Davies.
The paper is regularly mispronounced "Argos", so editor Arron Hendy floated the news the paper would be rebranded to end the confusion.
It later made it clear it was a joke.
Hi did you spot our April fool - The Argus will not become The Argos!
— Brighton Argus (@brightonargus) April 1, 2020
The fake coronavirus diagnosis
Not all the pranks were in such good taste.
One K-pop star who joked on Instagram that he had tested positive for coronavirus faced a backlash at home and abroad.
Jaejoong, a member of popular band JYJ - formerly TVXQ - said he had been infected and hospitalised.
Worried fans left countless messages wishing him a speedy recovery.
But about an hour later he updated the post, revealing it was a prank and adding he wanted to "raise awareness".
"Although it may have been too much as an April Fools' joke, a lot of people worried for me," he wrote. "I'll receive any punishment due to this post."
Many, including his own fans, lambasted the post, calling it inappropriate and not funny.
"Please have some respect. People out there are suffering," wrote one fan.
Threats of jail
The coronavirus outbreak has already been accompanied by a deluge of online misinformation, making it harder for governments to keep their citizens safe.
Some are now threatening jail for virus pranks.
Taiwan, which has been held up as a model for how to tackle an outbreak, warned people who spread false rumours that they faced up to three years in jail and a TW$3 million fine ($100,000).
"On April Fools' Day we can exercise our sense of humour if we have to but we can't make jokes on the pandemic to avoid breaking the law," President Tsai Ing-wen posted on Facebook alongside a photo of one of her cats.
"I wish everybody not only a humorous but also healthy and safe April Fools' Day."
Thailand was taking a similarly hard line, threatening up to five years in jail.
"It's against the law to fake having COVID-19 this April Fools' Day," the government said on Twitter.
"There may be people who do not have good intentions... who may use April 1 or April Fools' Day and assume they will not face legal action," Krissana Pattanacharoen, deputy national police spokesman, told reporters on Tuesday.
In India, where disinformation - especially on WhatsApp - remains a pervasive problem, politicians made similar appeals.
"The state govt won't allow anyone to spread rumours/panic on #Corona," tweeted Maharashtra state's home minister Anil Deshmukh.
"We urge citizens to verify information and only share messages from trusted sources and not fall for fake news," Pranay Ashok, a spokesman for Mumbai Police, told AFP, adding that anyone found spreading fake news would be prosecuted.
Steering clear
Many well-known brands with a prior track record of jumping on the annual bandwagon were steering clear of the tradition this year.
Google, a company renowned for its elaborate annual stunts, told its employees it would "take the year off from that tradition out of respect for all those fighting the Covid-19 pandemic," according to an internal email obtained by Business Insider.
In the past they said they were releasing PacMaps, giving users the ability to play the popular arcade game on Google Maps, Google Play for pets and relaunching Google Australia as Googz.
James Herring, from London-based PR agency Taylor Herring, had the following warning.
"Tip for any PR agencies planning an April Fools Day stunt," he wrote last week on Twitter. "Just. Don't."'
