Rumors false, police say; man punished

A man in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, suspected of spreading false information about the coronavirus pandemic is under investigation, the police said on Tuesday.

The man, surnamed Song, 35, posted the material on WeChat on Monday, saying that a village in Guangzhou had been sealed off and a Fangcang shelter hospital was going to be built.

The post, which followed news of five foreigners from Nigeria testing positive for the coronavirus in the city's Kuangquan Street area, resulted in multiple online forwards and created social anxiety, the police said.

A statement released by the local government late on Monday said Yaotai village, which is in the Kuangquan area, was not sealed off, and residents and cars could enter the area in accordance with quarantine rules.

As of Monday, the city had reported 111 imported cases of the novel coronavirus, including 86 Chinese returnees and 25 foreigners.