Eastern Chinese city debunks rumor suggesting 'non-locals must leave' for COVID-19 prevention reasons
Global Times
By Huang Lanlan Source: Global Times Published: 2020/11/30 12:49:39
Authorities in Hangzhou of East China's Zhejiang Province recently addressed a rumor that had widely spread on both Chinese domestic and foreign social media platforms, fighting back against those who slander China's COVID-19 response measures with misinformation.
The spreader of "fake news" forged a notice using the name of Qiaosi subdistrict in Hangzhou's Yuhang district, in which the subdistrict announced that — due to local epidemic prevention and control reasons — "all non-local residents without fixed places of residence" must leave the city "between December 15 and 30."
Despite the note being obviously fake, it was nonetheless spread by some online users and then on to foreign social media platforms including Twitter — who defamed China is taking "inhuman measures" by kicking out people for certain places amid the COVID-19 epidemic.
An actual official from the Qiaosi subdistrict confirmed with the Global Times on Monday that the notice was forged and the information within it was untrue.
The counterfeit notice also falsely claimed that all long-distance bus stations, railway stations and airports will be closed from December 30, according to a photo of the notice spread on social media.
"That [the aforementioned public transport closures] definitely won't happen," the Qiaosi official told the Global Times.
Hangzhou police debunked the rumor last week. "We will intensify our crackdown on rumor-mongering and severely punish those who spread rumors in accordance with the law," it stated on Weibo on November 27.
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