'There is no new Singapore Covid variant'; country invokes fake news law

Singapore orders Facebook and Twitter to carry a correction notice to users of the social media platforms in the country over what it says is a false statement about a new virus variant originating in Singapore.

The Singapore government on Thursday reiterated that there is no new Coronavirus variant that has originated from the country, and the claims made by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal are unfounded and fake.

In a statement, Singapore's health ministry said it had instructed the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act Office to issue direct social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to carry the correction notice to all end-users in the country.

"There is no new 'Singapore' variant. Nor is there evidence of any Covid-19 variant that is extremely dangerous for kids. The strain detected in many of the Covid cases in Singapore in recent weeks is the B.1.617.2 variant that originated from India," the Singapore health ministry said. 

"The existence and spread of B.1.617.2 variant within India predate the detection of the variant in Singapore, and this has been publicly known and reported by various media sources from as early as May 5, 2021."

The second clarification came hours after the Singapore government rubbished media reports citing Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's concerns about a new variant from Singapore likely to cause the third wave of the pandemic in India.

Trashing Kejriwal's claims, the Singapore government said that phylogenetic testing had shown that the B.1.617.2 variant was linked with several clusters in the city.

Seeking to assuage the Singapore administration, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had taken to Twitter to say that Delhi Chief Minister does not speak for India. 

Noting that Singapore and India have been solid partners in the fight against Covid-19, Jaishankar said he appreciated Singapore's role as a logistics hub and oxygen supplier. 

NOTE: Asianet News humbly requests everyone to wear masks, sanitize, maintain social distancing and get vaccinated as soon as eligible. Together we can and will break the chain #ANCares #IndiaFightsCorona