CoP warns against fake news

Police Commissioner Gary Griffith is warning the public to be wary of unverified reports being circulated on social media with respect to the covid19 pandemic and the public health regulations, noting three false rumours.

In a media release on Thursday, Griffith urged the public to get their information on the pandemic and public health measures from reliable sources, as some information online can be misleading and stir panic.

Last week a video purporting to show Venezuelans arriving at a beach in southwestern Trinidad was circulated on social media, but was later shown to be migrants from the Dominican Republic entering Puerto Rico.

Another post was circulating before the Prime Minister's media conference on May 3 claiming he would implement a State of Emergency .

In another incident a man who claimed to work in the Ministry of National Security said he had had a meeting with senior officials in the ministry and the telecommunications department which revealed a much worse situation with regard to covid19 that the public had been told.

Griffith denied any such meeting happened.

In the release, he said false reports could cause the police to respond to unnecessary matters instead of attending to more urgent situations. He called on the public to avoid spreading such posts and to get information on the pandemic from the Ministry of Health and the police.