China takes the online spreading of rumours as they relate to sensitive issues extremely seriously. No wonder that a local Nanjing woman has found herself detained by police for claiming that death can be the result of being vaccinated against COVID.
It was this lunchtime when the Jiangsu Provincial Public Security Department published on their official Weibo account that they had found a local person had released the comment on a short video social media platform.
Specifically, the text written by the lady in question was, “新冠疫苗不能打，打死人了”, translating to, “The Coronavirus vaccine cannot be used; it kills people”. Authorities claim the post caused panic among the masses.
It appears that the woman had become enraged after seeing video of long queues of people waiting for vaccination. She decided to vent her anger by making up the post, which quickly circulated online among thousands of people.
Surnamed Pan, the woman has been administratively detained for 7 days according to law.
The story has been covered by many media websites, both local and national, including LegalDaily.com.cn.
Rumours about COVID have been rife since day 1, of course, and China has done everything possible to counter them, particular those which are false.
One such previous bit of fake news was that Nanjing’s drinking water may be COVID contaminated. With our city getting much of its drinking water from the Yangtze River, just as Wuhan does, it was not long until the rumour took hold. Countless official media outlets took quick steps to dispel it.
The recent detention announced today is also not the first such case. Last year, a 27 year-old-man was detained on suspicion of provocation, for publishing in a number of online groups the rumour that Nanjing was to be quarantined like Wuhan. He made the post just 3 days after commencement of the Wuhan lockdown on 23 January, 2020.
Jiangsu Public Security Bureau reminds people that we are at a critical juncture in the vaccination process. Citizens are encouraged to make active efforts at vaccination, while the security organs will deal with those who deliberately spread rumours and cause social panic according to law.
