Wuhan virus: Tweet on school closures in Singapore is fake, says CNA

School's out?

A tweet declaring that all schools, including polytechnics and universities, would close next Monday due to the Wuhan virus outbreak took some Singaporeans by surprise on Friday (Feb 7).

The tweet, which passed itself off as one from Channel NewsAsia, is being circulated on WhatsApp.

The news channel has confirmed that the tweet is fake and its message untrue.

The fake screengrab appears to be doctored screengrab of another tweet sent out by the publication, the Ministry of Health noted.

There are some signs indicating that the tweet is fake, which include the hashtag (that its automation service does not use), as well as an outdated watermark of Mediacorp's logo in the attached photo.

Last month, SPH Magazines was ordered by the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma) office to correct an online post in Hardware Zone forum which falsely claimed that a man in Singapore had died from the Wuhan virus infection.

For the latest updates on the Wuhan virus, visit here.

lamminlee@asiaone.com