COMMUNICATIONS Minister Donna Cox is calling on people to stop spreading “disinfodemic” or misinformation about Covid-19.
She made the comment as her closing remarks of the virtual news conference of the Ministry of Health to update the country on Covid-19 on Thursday.
Cox said:
The Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (GoRTT) cannot stress enough the importance of relying on the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Communications as your only credible sources of Government information on COVID-19.
Unreliable and false information about COVID-19 is spreading so fast around the world that some have described this problem as disinfodemic. The GoRTT recognizes that not everyone who shares false information is doing so maliciously. We also recognize that misinformation happens online, and offline. Regardless, the effects are the same and the long-term implications are seeds of division, mistrust, confusion, fear, anxiety and poor decision-making.
We cannot allow the prevalence of false information to destroy our beautiful country which is why we are pleading with you to think before sharing. Please be critical of the information presented to you online and elsewhere and we will continue to do our part to ensure transparency and timely disclosure of information.
