A local man was arrested on Thursday for spreading false information about COVID-19 on a social media app last week after the government’s confirmation of a local four-member family cluster being infected by the Delta variant, according to a statement by the Judiciary Police (PJ) on Saturday.
The 46-year-old jobless suspect is surnamed Tang. The statement said that Tang was involved in two property damage cases in 2016 and this year.
According to the statement, the government launched anti-epidemic prevention measures on Tuesday afternoon immediately after the announcement of the four Delta variant cases and urged the public not to create and spread false information.
The Judiciary Police discovered that on Wednesday a netizen had posted a message consisting of a photo and short text via a social media app about five people, comprising Public Security Police (PSP) officers and outsourced cleaners from the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) in protective clothing, claiming that they had been infected with the novel coronavirus, the statement said.
After the Judiciary Police confirmed that the content of the message was false and consequently misleading the public into believing that there were newly confirmed cases in Macau apart from the family cluster.
According to the statement, the message caused public fear and anxiety, which affected Macau’s public security and the government’s COVID-19 prevention measures.
The statement underlined that the Judiciary Police immediately launched an investigation into the case. PJ officers identified Tang as the suspect and told him to report to a police station on Thursday to assist in their investigation.
Under questioning, Tang told the police that he deliberately made use of his social media account to send the photo and false message to draw the public’s attention.
The statement said that Tang’s message breached Article 26 of the Civil Protection Framework Law No. 11/2020, causing public panic during the period of the government’s COVID-19 “state of immediate prevention” measures. The Judiciary Police will transfer the case to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) for follow-up investigation, the statement pointed out.
The Judiciary Police urged the public not to fabricate or circulate false information with the intention of creating panic or unease, during a public emergency in particular, adding that suspected offenders face prosecution. Residents should focus their attention on official information and not believe hearsay, the statement said.
