Govt Says Press Release Over Movement Restriction Circulating On WhatsApp Is Fake & Not From PMO

The Government on Thursday said that a purported press release claiming that it had declared movement restriction in the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic is fake and not from the Prime Minister’s Office.

The claim, which was widely circulated on WhatsApp, was debunked by the Government of India’s press information bureau’s (PIB) Fact Check Twitter handle: @PIBFactCheck.

The tweet read, "Claim: A Press Release regarding movement restriction is widely getting circulated on WhatsApp claiming to be of Government of India. PIBFactCheck: No such Press Release has been issued by PMOIndia."

Claim: A Press Release regarding movement restriction is widely getting circulated on #WhatsApp claiming to be of Government of India.#PIBFactCheck: No such Press Release has been issued by @PMOIndia. pic.twitter.com/6CQOJUhSpG

— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) March 19, 2020

The notice was touted as an official message ahead of PM Modi's address to the nation on Thursday at 8 pm.