The Ministry of Tourism has rejected letter on closing of hotels and restaurants till October 15 due to coronavirus outbreak and asked people to only believe the official communication.
“It has been noticed by the Ministry of Tourism that a fake letter claiming that hotels/restaurants will remain closed till 15th October 2020 due to Coronavirus outbreak doing the rounds in social media in the name of Ministry of Tourism and creating panic among whole tourism sector. The Ministry of Tourism has clarified that no such letter has been issued by Ministry of Tourism and people must not believe such kind of fake news,” it said.
Requesting people not to pay heed to such messages, the ministry said that no letter has been issued by them on closing of hotels and restaurants till October 15.
“The Ministry of Tourism requests all to disregard the fake message about closure of hotels/restaurants circulating on Whatsapp,” it said in a statement. The ministry further said that the matter is now under the investigation by the Cyber Crime Unit of the Mumbai Police.
Ministry warns of strict action
It also warned against the circulation of fake news, saying those involved in such activities will be punished under relevant laws. “Anybody found to be circulating, publishing or spreading the fake news will be liable under applicable laws,” the statement read. “The respective authorities are empowered to take suitable action against such individuals, including but not limited to initiation of criminal proceedings under relevant laws,” it added.
Ministry of Tourism had already issued denials on social media and lodged a complaint with cyber crime unit of Mumbai police. The PIB Fact Check Unit also issued denials a few days back but the fake message is circulating again. PIB Fact Check has reissued the clarification yesterday also. It is requested to all to ignore such messages and only believe on official communication.
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