EDITORIAL - False info spreads more quickly than any virus

Yes, it is true that a boy has been confined in a medical facility on suspicion that he has caught the new coronavirus that is now sweeping across Wuhan, China, and has even shown up in other parts of the world. Test results due today should be able to determine this.

If it is proven the boy has the dreaded new coronavirus, which, of course, is something we don’t want to happen, let the formal announcement come from the authorities. Let us not come to the conclusion ourselves and spread it, like what some people have been doing.

Even days before the child was admitted, rumors and social media posts were already circulating that the virus was here. After the boy was admitted the rumors and posts became even wilder.

If you believe some of the “information” that is going around, the virus is already here and spreading quickly among people. Other rumors even have it that China deliberately sent people here for the purpose of spreading the new virus. And that they timed it during the Sinulog for maximum effect.

What makes it worse is that people who received information like these didn’t even check or ask around if these were true before forwarding them to others. And, just like a virus, this is how inaccurate information is spread.

If indeed the coronavirus is confirmed, there will always be those who will say “Aha! I knew it!” or “I was right!” That is beside the point. Information was shared before there was confirmation and before an announcement from relevant authorities was made. It was just a lucky guess on their part.

We don’t have to look far in our history to see what false news and rumors can do. Many of us should still be able to recall the mass panic that engulfed parts of Cebu City after an earthquake led to a tsunami scare in February 2012.

This is why it is important not to spread any information without bothering to find out the truth. A virus may spread fast, but unfounded rumors and false information can travel even faster, and the ensuing panic and chaos can cause even more damage.