KUCHING (Jan 15): State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas has advised Sarawakians not to be confused by fake news regarding the Covid-19 pandemic in the state.
“I noticed that in the last few days there has been a lot of fake news. Today also got fake news. Fake news is troublesome.
“I do not know where they get the fake news but it is a very irresponsible act that is really causing confusion among the people. We are already troubled by Covid-19 yet there are people who like to spread fake news,” he told a press conference on Covid-19 updates today.
Uggah did not mention what fake news he was referring to, however, prior to the press conference and the release of the official daily statistics of Covid-19 cases in the state, unverified information had spread on social media that the number of cases in the state was 321 for the day.
Several local Facebook pages and groups with large followings posted the misinformation which was eventually proven to be false, causing much panic among those who saw it.
They claimed that there were 321 news cases statewide, with Sibu recording 125, Miri 105, Kuching 52, Bintulu 39, and Selangau one, bringing the total positive cases to 2,241.
However, after Uggah’s press conference started, these pages and groups had then apologised for the earlier misinformation.
For those who wish to follow Covid-19 updates on Facebook, a recommended page besides Borneo Post Online would be Sarawak Disaster Information which is the official platform for public service announcements on Covid-19 and rabies in Sarawak.