MUSCAT: Many videos and news details are going viral on social media including WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter along with other popular websites. But here is an example why people should stop believing in anything that comes from anywhere other than reliable sources, especially regarding the pandemic coronavirus.

A video claiming that people in Muscat are panic buying due to coronavirus has gone viral. The video shows hundreds of people gathered inside a hypermarket and pushing each other to buy to get the necessary supplies was doing the rounds on several social media platforms.

Fact Check
However, while checking the facts it turned out that the video had nothing to do with coronavirus situation in the country and Oman’s Government Communication Centre (GC) debunked the video as fake. “There is no truth to the current video, which shows a very crowded mall. The video belongs to another Gulf country and was circulated a week ago,” GC said in a statement.

Earlier on Wednesday, Ministry of Commerce and Industry urged people to limit one person per household to do the shopping and to avoid shopping during peak hours (from 7pm to 10pm) to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Several hypermarkets are also asking people to follow social distancing while inside the store.