The ministry took this decision after receiving several public complaints to the ministry and the Police on false and misleading statements by some individuals and groups to create a tense situation on on-going efforts of the government to control the coronavirus outbreak.

“The Government has taken all the necessary measures to control the spreading of the COVID -19. In this crisis situation, the entire country needs to be united to protect lives of our people from the virus. It is very disappointing to see how some interested parties and individuals are spreading rumors to mislead people,” Defence Secretary Maj.Gen. (Retd) Kamal Gunaratne said.

He said the government would not tolerate the behavior of such people, who were posting false and misleading information on social media platforms.

“The Police will take legal action against them,” the Defence Secretary said.

The Police Spokesman SP Jaliya Senaratne told  that two persons who have posted alleged false and misleading posts on their Facebook accounts have already been arrested.

According to the Police Spokesman, a maximum of five-year imprisonment will be given for those individuals for spreading or circulating rumors and false information via social media platforms under the No.24 of the Computer Crimes Act of 2007