[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] As the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) reached an all-time high, fake news in the form of 'forwarded messages' rapidly spread through the internet, prompting health authorities to take action to contain it.
On the 16th, on social networking services (SNS) and other platforms, messages were shared warning that if the number of new COVID-19 cases on the 17th exceeds 1,000, social distancing measures would be raised to Level 3 at least in the metropolitan area starting from the 18th, urging people to prepare in advance.
In response, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters warned that false news and rumors related to the escalation of social distancing have been increasing recently and urged caution.
The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters stated, "All false news claiming that the announcement of raising social distancing to Level 3 is imminent is untrue," emphasizing, "The escalation to Level 3 must be guaranteed to be effective, and it is especially important that national consensus and participation are maximized to create cohesion."
They added, "Since the social and economic damage would be enormous, we are collecting opinions from experts, related ministries, and local governments," and said, "Regarding the escalation to Level 3, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters will provide sufficient prior notice in advance."
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