Sikkim chief minister P. S. Tamang (Golay) on Monday warned of stringent action against those involved in the spread of fake news and found guilty of violating Covid-19 guidelines even as the state grappled to contain the surge in the number of positive cases.

The warning came on a day rumours spread on social media about the sealing of the Central Referral Hospital in Gangtok after a patient had tested positive for Covid-19 at the emergency room in the wee hours of Monday.

Speaking at the high-level meeting of the State Task Force on Covid-19, the chief minister said the menace of fake news was compounding the challenge posed by the pandemic and stressed the need to disseminate factual information across all media platforms. “If anybody is found to be spreading fake news on social media, electronic media, or in any form, (the) government will take stringent action,” an official release quoted Golay as telling the meeting.

Stating that the surge in Covid cases was because of the flouting of the guidelines to arrest the spread of the virus, Golay directed police to initiate strict action the violators. “Proper health guidelines should be enforced and implemented in letter and spirit,” the release quoted him as saying.

The CRH said it was fully functional and not sealed.

The rumour mills had gone on an overdrive after a field staff member of the state power and energy department posted at Timburbong in West Sikkim had been diagnosed with the pathogen at the CRH. He was brought to the hospital around 4am on Monday to treat an injury caused by electric shock. “According to protocol, since the patient was from a containment zone, a rapid antigen test was conducted and the patient tested positive for Covid-19. The patient was immediately shifted to STNM, Hospital (state’s dedicated Covid facility) for further management according to the guidelines,” said the hospital in a release.

The release said in the process of initial management of the patient in the emergency room and his subsequent shifting to the STNM Hospital, the staff members present at the emergency room were exposed and they were immediately removed and kept under isolation.

“The management of CRH would like to inform the general public that the hospital is fully functional and NOT SEALED, contrary to the fake news doing rounds in several media platforms. Our OPDs and other departments are open and receiving and treating patients,” the release added.

CRH has been handling all emergency cases after the STNM Hospital was forced to seal its emergency department after a doctor attached to it tested positive for coronavirus on Saturday. “CRH has been and will continue to serve the people of Sikkim at this hour of crisis by performing all duties as a non-Covid healthcare centre and will not put anyone at undue risk. Anyone who needs emergency medical attention should seek medical help,” said the hospital management.