The government did not intend to declare a curfew as alleged by some irresponsible quarters via social media since yesterday.

Urging the public not to believe in fake news, Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said another false claim was that insecticide would be sprayed from helicopters to kill the COVID-19 coronavirus.

“I hope that people will not panic and be easily duped by fake news because each ministry has a hotline that can be contacted (to verify news),” he said at a press conference after a special ministerial committee meeting on the Movement Control Orde here today..

At the same time, Ismail Sabri who is also Defence Minister said individuals who were not feeling well and yet failed to report to health authorities for screening, were committing an offence.

“The police can take action against them under the law. This includes the 4,000 individuals from a ‘tabligh’ group who attended the gathering in Seri Petaling, and still have not come forward to undergo health screening,” he said.

Expressing the hope that these individuals will not wait for the police to turn up at their homes, he added: “This is for your own good, for your family and society at large”.

-- BERNAMA