Coincidence? UAE and Japan Are Accused of Hiding the Real Numbers of Coronavirus Cases to Hold 2020 Events

Social media commentators have linked the numbers of announced coronavirus cases in both the UAE and Japan to the two countries' decisions to postpone major events that were scheduled for 2020, pointing out a new conspiracy.

Twitter users have noticed that the two countries have reported significantly higher numbers of COVID-19 cases right after their official announcements of putting off major international events, questioning the accuracy of the numbers reported previously and suggesting that they may have been hiding the real numbers in attempt to move forward with their plans.

After a lot of speculations, Japan and the International Olympic Committee have agreed to postpone the 2020 Summer Olympic games. The announcement, made on March 24th, inspired a sense of relief worldwide as more countries need to focus efforts on tackling the 2020 pandemic.

Yet, on the next day of the joint announcement, Japan's figures of confirmed coronavirus cases witnessed a spike that is still rising, and the Prime Minister declared the state of emergency for the first time.

Similarly, Twitter users noted that the UAE has started to report much higher numbers of infected cases, as soon the country released a statement announcing pushing its long-awaited Dubai Expo 2020 business event until 2021. They wondered if it was a mere coincidence or part of the country's policy to try its best to hold the international exhibition.