India’s Ministry of Tourism has issued a statement dismissing all the rumours doing rounds on social media. There have been rumours that hotels and restaurants will remain closed till October 15 because of the Coronavirus outbreak. The ministry clarified that there has been no such notification issued by them or any concerned authorities.
The Ministry of Tourism took to Twitter and called the news fake. It said that “The Ministry of Tourism requests all to disregard the fake message about the closure of hotels/restaurants circulating on Whatsapp”.
Cyber Crime Unit, Mumbai Police has initiated investigation into fake news being circulated in @tourismgoi‘s name. Respective authorities will take action against guilty individuals, including but not limited to initiation of criminal proceedings under relevant laws. pic.twitter.com/u2DBNvx3n6
— Ministry of Tourism (@tourismgoi) April 22, 2020
The Ministry had to issue the clarification note after a letter started circulating on various social media platforms, saying that the government has asked hotels/restaurants to remain shut till October 15. As the news started creating panic in the tourism sector, the government decided to issue a formal clarification note.
Fake news letter clarified by Press Information Bureau (PIB) on Twitter:
On popular demand, the #FakeNews claiming that hotels/resturants will remain closed till 15th October 2020 due to #Coronavirusoutbreak, is being reposted.
It’s again clarified that no such order has been issued by Tourism Ministry.
Stay clear of romours mongers. https://t.co/Qmjc6kNXEc
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) April 21, 2020
To deal with the situation, the Ministry has also lodged an FIR with the Mumbai Cyber Police cell.
On the other hand, the Ministry has also decided to go virtual, by making a number of Indian attractions available online via virtual tours. The tourism department had issued a note in mid-April during the launch of its DekhoApnaDesh webinar series.
The note said, “In these unprecedented times, technology is coming handy to maintain human contact and also keep faith that times will be good to be able to travel again soon.”
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