As coronavirus spreads, so do spurious online claims about it in Hong Kong
- Police forced to scotch rumours of officers giving out free surgical masks to government sympathisers
- Health chiefs contradict legislator’s tips on how to re-use the face coverings
A surge in fake news surrounding face masks in recent days has left the Hong Kong government and social media platforms trying to stem a tide of misinformation shared among city residents.
While worries of contracting the deadly coronavirus have prompted hundreds to wait hours each day to buy health supplies, one of several posts circulated online recently claimed the city’s police force was giving out free face masks.
“All district police stations will give out free face masks for pro-China residents to guard against the virus,” one post read.
The Hong Kong Police Force debunked the rumours on its social media accounts on Thursday afternoon, saying the claim was false.
The city’s government was also not supplying face masks to family members of officers, it added, saying that it must “squash such misinformation”.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor dismissed claims on Thursday that the government was stockpiling masks, or that the coverings were being transferred to mainland China, home to the outbreak’s epicentre.