KUCHING, July 16: Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Women chief Kho Teck Wan urges the people to use the mobile application i-Alert available in both Appstore and GooglePlay to receive official news and updates on Covid-19 in the state instead of trusting and sharing fake news.
She also encouraged the public to refer to the official Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) website, Facebook page or SDMC hotline in verifying the authenticity of any information and news received regarding Covid-19.
“SDMC provides the latest and official Covid-19 related information in Sarawak.
“When one likes the SDMC Facebook page, he or she will be notified of the daily Covid-19 press conference which is live on Facebook usually before 5pm,” said Kho in a press statement today.
She also revealed that she has seen an increasing number of messages circulating in all online messaging platforms after the emergence of a new Covid-19 cluster in Kuching a few days back.
She ascertained that some of these messages, videos and articles were fake news that contained misleading information and could cause panic to the community, instead of serving the purpose of increasing public awareness.
“We have seen many official announcements by business establishments, healthcare facilities and apartment complexes clarifying fake news regarding their facilities throughout this pandemic.
“The best way to verify whether a Covid-19 case is associated with a specific premise is with their management.
“Messages started with ‘This is 100 per cent true’ or ‘This news is from so and so’ are unfortunately mostly not genuine,” said Kho.
In stating this, she urged the people of Sarawak to continue their efforts in giving full compliance to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), maintaining social distancing, washing hands frequently and wearing masks when going outdoors.
“There is currently no cure or vaccine for Covid-19, so stay safe and alert, and don’t fall victim to fake news,” she added. —DayakDaily
