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Singapore
Facebook was also instructed to post a correction notice in the Singapore States Times post.
A woman passes closed stores, during “circuit breaker” measures to curb the coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19), in Singapore’s Chinatown on April 17, 2020. (Photo: Reuters / Edgar Su)
SINGAPORE: Health Minister Gan Kim Yong has ordered that a correction address be issued to the Singapore States Times in a Facebook post on his ministry’s report on COVID-19 cases, the Office for Protection against Online falsehoods and the Manipulation Act (POFMA) on Saturday (Apr. 18)
The Facebook post, released on Saturday, contained “multiple false statements,” the POFMA Office said.
He alleged that the number of new COVID-19 cases in Singapore on Friday was 1,146, and that the total number of confirmed cases was 5,573.
He also claimed that Mr. Gan ordered that the reported numbers be halved to minimize public panic by reporting the numbers in the afternoon rather than later at night, alleging a “cover-up” by the authorities.
The Ministry of Health confirmed 623 new cases of the virus on Friday, publishing the numbers in the afternoon instead of later at night, as is often the case.
The allegations made by the Singapore States Times are false, the POFMA Office said.
The government website said: “The Minister of Health or the Government did not issue instructions to halve or fail to report the number of cases. In order to update the number of new cases of COVID-19 per 24-hour period , The Ministry of Health has always used 12 pm as the time limit since the start of COVID-19.
“There is no cover-up by the Government or the Ministry of Health.
“Daily press releases from the Ministry of Health publish information on all confirmed cases, including the number of imported cases, and cases linked and unrelated at the time, even while contact tracing and epidemiological investigations are ongoing” .
Authorities also explained that the Health Ministry will now release “top line numbers” in the afternoon and share more updates on COVID-19 cases that same night.
“Tracing contacts is a rigorous and time-consuming process, especially as the number of cases increases,” the Factually website stated.
“Given that there is significant public interest, particularly in the number of new COVID-19 infections daily, the Ministry of Health has begun to publish front-line numbers (that is, the gross number of new cases that have been preliminarily confirmed) in the afternoon of each day, even as follow-up contact and investigations continue. “
He advised members of the public not to speculate and spread unfounded rumors.
Gan also ordered that a correction address targeting Facebook be issued, meaning the social media site will be required to issue a correction notice to all Singapore users who access the falsehood on its platform.
Earlier this month, a correction address was ordered against a post on the Facebook page of the Singapore States Times that said foreign workers quarantined by COVID-19 will not receive their wages.
A similar order against the Temasek Review was ordered Friday for a post alleging that a GrabFood driver was fined by police officers for wearing a cloth as a mask and for illegal parking.
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