Viral message “Hotel/ restaurants to be closed till 15 Oct” is FAKE

April 8: As India continues to be under a 21-day lockdown to contain the spread of virus, there is a fake circular being shared on social media WhatsApp about hotels/restaurants being ordered to shut till October 15, 2020 due to the coronavirus.

In case you have come across WhatsApp forwards that claim the tourism ministry has ordered hotels, restaurants and resorts to remain closed till October 15, beware – it’s FAKE. The false claim was debunked by Press Information Bureau’s Fact Check Twitter handle in a post. The agency ended the post with a line of caution and urged people not to believe in rumours.

Be cautious of #Fake order claiming that hotels/resturants will remain closed till 15th October 2020 due to #Coronavirusoutbreak.#PIBFactCheck: The order is Fake and has NOT been issued by Ministry of Tourism.

Do not believe in rumours! pic.twitter.com/efRx3PWTj0

— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) April 8, 2020

Taking to its twitter handle, PIB Fact Check wrote, “Be cautious of #Fake order claiming that hotels/restaurants will remain closed till 15th October 2020 due to #Coronavirusoutbreak,” the agency wrote. “The order is fake and has NOT been issued by Ministry of Tourism,” they added.