With the rapid spread of the new coronavirus, false information about infected people and medical services is spreading on social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook.
"A Chinese tourist with a fever and a cough entered Japan via Kansai Airport and escaped the quarantine inspection" -- this post spread on Twitter in late January. The airport's operating company, Osaka-based Kansai Airports, was flooded with inquiries as a result.
On Jan. 24, Kansai Airports posted on its website, "There is no truth to this report."
The rumor is believed to have been originally posted on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter, and spread after being translated into Japanese. An original post on Weibo says: "[A Chinese tourist] was taken to the hospital but ran away before being examined because they wanted to go to Universal Studios Japan and Kyoto."
There are also false posts about how to deal with the coronavirus. Some have said, for example, that black tea or green tea is recommended for prevention.
This is apparently based on the theory that a kind of polyphenol contained in tea has antiviral effects. However, according to Kunihiro Kaihatsu, a researcher at Osaka University who is well versed in polyphenols, "Studies have been conducted but none have demonstrated a protective effect in humans."
Other false reports said the Tokyo Olympics were to be canceled due to the spread of the virus. The Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games provided The Yomiuri Shimbun with a statement saying, "Cancellation has never been considered."
Senshu University Prof. Toru Takeda, a specialist in media studies, said, "False rumors about new coronaviruses are created because people try to use their imagination to compensate for the lack of accurate information."
The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry called for caution, saying people should "first obtain primary information from public agencies or medical institutions."
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
