The Indian government ordered social media on Friday (21.05.2021) to remove content that includes the term “Indian variant” from the coronavirus.
The B.1.617 mutation was first detected in India last year and is largely attributed to the devastating wave of contagion that plagues South Asian countries in recent weeks.
In addition, it has spread to the United Kingdom and at least 43 other countries, where “Indian variant” has become a widely used expression.
The government order, sent friday, highlights the executive’s sensitivity to allegations that he has mismanaged the rise of new cases.
“We are aware that false information about an ‘Indian variant’ of coronavirus is circulating online and is spreading in other countries. This is completely false,” says a circular from the Ministry of Information Technology.
As a basis for launching this order, the ministry cited calls to curb “fake news and misinformation” about the social media pandemic
He also argued that the World Health Organization (WHO) did not link variant B.1.617 to any specific country.
