Singapore government on Thursday invoked its anti-misinformation law, the POFMA or widely known as Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation act after Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted about a new covid 19 variants from Singapore.
Singapore health ministry (MOH) has asked the POFMA office to issue general directions to Facebook, Twitter and to carry a "Correction Notice to all end-users in Singapore" who use their app that there is nothing like covid 19 Singapore strain and that there is no evidence of any coronavirus strain which is extremely hazardous for kids. The direction has also been isued to local SPH Magazines Pte Ltd (HardwareZone forum).
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The correction notice issued by MOH reads, "there is a false statement circulating online" which "implies that a new, previously unknown variant of COVID-19 originated in Singapore and/or risks spreading to India from Singapore." The notice clarifies that "the strain that is prevalent in many of the COVID-19 cases detected in Singapore in recent weeks is the B.1.617.2 variant, which originated from India." The notice, however, does not name Arvind Kejriwal.
On Tuesday, Delhi CM had tweeted about a new form of Covid 19 strain from Singapore that was perilous for kids.
Singapore High Commissioner Simon Wong on Wednesday came down heavily on Delhi CM while raising the matter with the Indian High Commissioner to the country P Kumaran.
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External affair minister S. Jaishankar also commented on the controversy and said that Delhi CM's irresponsible behavior can damage the long-standing relationship between the two countries. He also asserted that Kejriwal speaks for himself, not for India.
