Singapore government has issued a number of correction orders against falsehoods published online regarding the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak.
A website called ‘City News’ published on January 30 an article titled “BREAKING NEWS: Singapore records six more coronavirus case, total of 16 now”. The article claimed that five Singaporeans have contracted the Wuhan coronavirus without going to China.
In a statement, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said as of 2pm on January 30, there was no local transmission of the Wuhan virus in Singapore. All confirmed cases in Singapore to date were Chinese nationals who travelled from Wuhan.
In a separate incident, The States Times Review Facebook page published a false statement on the supply of surgical masks in Singapore. The page is run by Alex Tan, who lives in Australia.
A post on The States Times Review's Facebook page at 10.10am on January 30 claimed Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Transport, Dr Lam Pin Min confirmed that Singapore had run out of face masks. The post also insinuated that Dr Lam Pin Min was blaming Singaporeans for “insensible and irresponsible” use of surgical masks.
Tan also posted that Singapore had run out of masks since last Sunday, less than three days after the first confirmed case.
"We advise members of the public to not speculate and/or spread unfounded rumors," MOH said. Updates on the Wuhan virus situation can be found on the official government site.
Earlier in the month, on January 28, posts by several Facebook users claimed that Woodlands MRT was closed for disinfection due to a suspected case of the Wuhan coronavirus infection. The posts also urged members of the public not to go to Woodlands MRT. Authorities clarified that it was not true, and that the station was fully operational.
In another case, HardwareZone Forum post on January 26 claimed that a 66-year-old man died in Singapore from a newly identified virus that caused him to develop severe pneumonia. A correction order was also issued against the HardwareZone for the post, which the authorities have clarified was false.