Singapore’s Ministry of Health has issued an order to social media giants Facebook and Twitter to carry correction notice regarding the false statements about a new coronavirus variant
originating in Singapore.
The decision comes after New Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that a new form of coronavirus had come to Singapore. Saying the variant is extremely harmful to children, he urged for suspension of flights from Singapore to avoid the third wave of the epidemic.
Both Singapore and Indian governments have said this is not true and criticized Delhi CM for his factless comments. India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar also clarified the issue saying, “Kejriwal does not speak for India” and added, “Irresponsible comments from those who should know better can damage long-standing partnerships.”
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The Singapore Ministry of Health said that it was aware of the statement surfacing on social media platforms and other digital outlets. These statements imply that a new, previously unknown Covid19 variant has originated in Singapore and India as at risk of spread.
“There is no new ‘Singapore variant’ of Covid 19. Neither is evidence of any Covid19 variant that is ‘extremely dangerous for kids’. The strain that is prevalent in many of the Covid19 cases detected in Singapore in recent weeks is the B.1.617.2 variant, which originated from India,” said the ministry.
The correction orders are issued under Singapore’s fake new law or Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act.