Singapore – A taxi driver was jailed for four months in Singapore on Wednesday over a Facebook post in which he falsely claimed food outlets would close and urged people to stock up due to impending Covid-19 restrictions, local media reported.
Kenneth Lai Yong Hui, 40, deleted the message sent to a private Facebook group with around 7,500 members after 15 minutes, court records show, but the public prosecutor called for a punishment that would deter others.
Singapore, which has seen bouts of panic buying during a four-month battle with the virus, has imposed tough punishments on those who breach containment rules or spread misinformation as it tackles one of Asia’s highest COVID-19 rates.
“The psychological fight to allay fear and hysteria is just as important as the fight to contain the spread of COVID-19,” deputy public prosecutor Deborah Lee said in her sentencing submission, according to case documents.
Lai, who represented himself and could not be reached for comment, was sentenced to four months’ jail in the State Courts on Wednesday, according to Singapore’s main Straits Times newspaper and broadcaster ChannelNews Asia.