Dubai: The Department of Health Abu Dhabi is requesting residents not to spread coronavirus and rumours about the pandemic in new Instagram post.
From their official Instagram account @dohsocial, the government body discussed the spread of “rumours about novel coronavirus disease that are causing more harm than the virus” itself, and urged residents to fact check and follow reliable news.
They uploaded a post that urged the public to follow all preventive measures issued by official health authorities in the UAE, and to stop circulating rumours or any information published by unverified sources.
In their picture post, the health authority listed reliable sources for residents to refer to when inquiring about COVID-19 in the UAE, and provided their Instagram handles.
They are as follows:
- Ministry of Health and Prevention @mohapuse
- Dubai Health Authority @dha_dubai
- Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre @adphc_ae
- Department of health- Abu Dhabi @dohsocial
Direction from authorities
Spreading of rumours regarding coronavirus is being taken very seriously in the UAE. Misinformation leads to panic and the UAE government is clamping down on those who are starting trouble.
According to an April 1 article published by Gulf News, people who circulate rumours may be jailed for one year if they spread false information. They may be held accountable according to the UAE Federal Criminal Law and the Federal Law to Combat Cybercrime.
Article 197 of the UAE penal law stipulates that any person who uses any means to share or publish rumours shall be temporarily imprisoned.
