Police officers summon an owner of a phone repair shop in Danang City for questioning after he was found to have spread a falsified Covid-19 test result on social media. A fine of up to VND30 million will be slapped on those who disseminate fake and incorrect news and information about Covid-19 in Danang City – PHOTO: TNO

HCMC – A fine of up to VND30 million will be slapped on those who disseminate fake and incorrect news and information about Covid-19 in Danang City.

Nguyen Quang Thanh, director of the Danang Department of Information and Communications, on May 5 signed a dispatch on the use of social media platforms, warning against spreading baseless and incorrect information about the disease.

Several organizations and individuals have recently posted and spread information over the situation of Covid-19 in Danang City on social media, violating the prevailing regulations.

Many of them who disseminated the information on Covid-19 patients violated Article 8 of the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment, while others who spread incorrect information violated Article 5 of the Government’s Decree 72 on the management and use of Internet services.

The municipal department said that the offenders would be fined up to VND30 million in line with articles 101 and 102 of the Government’s Decree 15 dated on February 3, 2020, on the sanctioning of administrative violations in the post-telecom, information technology and e-transaction fields.

Organizations and individuals in the city were told not to share, disseminate and post incorrect, baseless and fake information on Covid-19 and personal information about patients on social media to avoid harsh fines.

On May 4, a positive Covid-19 test result of Nguyen Thanh Long, who lives in Hoa Vang District, went viral on social media.

The police of Hoa Vang District investigated the case and found the test result of the 19-year-old man was falsified. Nguyen Van T., aged 32, who resides in Hoa Vang District and is the owner of a phone repair shop, posted the test result on social media, the local media reported.