Singapore and Covid variant controversy

Excellent study material for all civil services aspirants - begin learning - Kar ke dikhayenge!

  Singapore and Covid variant controversy

---

Read more on - Polity | Economy | Schemes | S&T | Environment

---

1. The story: The Singapore government decided to issue general correction directions to Facebook and Twitter over the circulation of statements regarding presence of a new variant of coronavirus in the country. 
2. Official statement: "There is a false statement circulating online by multiple media outlets and social media platforms, which implies that a new, previously unknown variant of Covid-19 originated in Singapore and/or risks spreading to India," read a statement by Singapore's ministry of health. It went on to assert that the mentioned claims are false and that there is no new "Singapore variant of Covid-19". "Neither is there evidence of any variant that is ‘extremely dangerous for kids’. The strain that's prevalent in recent weeks is B.1.617.2 variant which originated from India," the ministry said.
3. India variant: It said that the existence and spread of the B.1.617.2 variant within India predates detection of the variant in Singapore, and this has been publicly known and reported by various media sources from as early as 5 May 2021. The government thus stated that it will send anti-misinformation directions through the office of Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) to Facebook, Twitter and SPH Magazines Pte Ltd. It said that all of them would be required to carry the correction notice to all end-users in Singapore. The government had earlier as well stated that there is no truth in the references in reports about a new Singapore variant of coronavirus.
4. CM Kejriwal's tweet: In a surprising tweet, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had requested the Indian government to suspend flights to and from Singapore with immediate effect as he warned of a possible new strain of the novel coronavirus detected in the city-state. He had said the strain is suspected to affect children, and hinted that the alleged new strain could mark the advent of the third wave of Covid-19 in the country. He had appealed to the Central government that Air services with Singapore be cancelled with immediate effect and priority on vaccine options should be worked out for children too.
5. Singapore's response: The Singapore government had immediately summoned the Indian high commissioner to convey a strong objection to Delhi CM's tweet. India's foreign minister S Jaishankar wrote that Singapore and India had been solid partners in the fight against Covid-19, and irresponsible comments from those who should know better can damage long-standing partnerships.

Read more on - Polity | Economy | Schemes | S&T | Environment

Join UPSC Self Prep course | Online Course (PT Gurukul)  | Covid Special Course | Join PT courses

* Content sourced from free internet sources (publications, PIB site, international sites, etc.). Take your own subscriptions. Copyrights acknowledged.