Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia’s Public Security has warned that stringent penalties will be slapped on those who spread rumors related with coronavirus.

Sources at the Public Security said that anyone who spreads rumors about coronavirus shall be punished with a fine of not less than SR100,000 and not more than SR1 million or imprisonment for a period of not less than one year and not more than five years or both.

Al-Rabiah: Most rumors are fatal

Minister of Health Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah warned on Sunday against the danger of rumors to human health. The minister said that he had always listened to warnings of rumors and their danger, indicating that when he became minister of health, he knew that many of the rumors were “fatal.”

He advised not to listen to rumors related to health and called on everyone to obtain information from reliable health authorities that are keen on the safety of the public.

Also, Dr. Muhammad Al-Abdel Ali, spokesman of the Ministry of Health, warned against being drawn into rumors and false information about coronavirus or vaccines against it.

Addressing the daily press conference to brief on the developments of the coronavirus pandemic on Sunday, he stressed the need to adhere to the instructions of the ministry in this regard.