Police to crackdown on spread of false information amid virus outbreak

Commissioner of Police Mohamed Hameed, on Monday, warned the police will pursue criminal action against those who spread false information designed to create fear and panic among the public amid the outbreak of COVID-19 in Maldives.

Hameed issued the warning in a short statement via his official Twitter account this afternoon.

“The Police Service will take criminal action against individuals who spread false information on #COVID19 in #Maldives that serves no legitimate purpose, but create fear and panic among the public,” said Hameed in his tweet.

He urged people to refrain from such expressions and actions.

Hameed also warned the police will pursue criminal actions against those who publicly harass people with false accusations pertaining to the virus outbreak in Maldives.

“Police Service will also take criminal action against individuals who publicly harass or annoy persons with false accusations or misinformation pertaining to #COVID19 pandemic in #Maldives,” said Hameed.

He said the objective behind the police’s decision to pursue criminal action in such cases was to protect the dignity and privacy of everyone.

The warning comes after Health Protection Agency (HPA) epidemiologist Dr. Nazla Rafeeq, during the National Emergency Operations Center press briefing on Sunday night, said the agency would report the spread of photos and personal information of virus patients to the police.

The emergence of virus cases in Male’ has sparked an overwhelming volume of rumors and speculations, with pictures of virus patients shared over social media platforms.

Dr. Nazla said that some of the pictures being circulated as pictures of virus patients included both virus patients and non-virus patients.