No new variant: Singapore govt directs POFMA to issue correction directions to social media

New Delhi, May 20: The Singapore Ministry of Health on Thursday, directed general correction directions to social media giants Facebook and Twitter over the circulation of statements regarding presence of a new variant of coronavirus in the country.

''In view of a false statement over new COVID variant originating in Singapore and/or risks spreading to India, office of Protection from Online Falsehoods & Manipulation Act(POFMA) is directed to issue correction directions to social media platforms,'' read a statement by Ministry of Health, Singapore.

''Under corrections and clarifications, Singapore MoH stated, "There's no new "Singapore" variant of COVID-19. Neither is there evidence of any variant that is 'extremely dangerous for kids'. Strain that's prevalent in recent weeks is B.1.617.2 variant which originated from India," the statement said.

''Existence & spread of the B.1.617.2 variant within India predates detection of the variant in Singapore, and this has been publicly known and reported by various media sources from as early as 5 May 2021,'' Singapore MoH stated in corrections & clarifications section on its website.

''In this regard, POFMA Office has to issue general correction directions to Facebook, Twitter and SPH Magazines Pte Ltd. All of them are required to carry the correction notice to all end-users in Singapore.'' further said.