SINGAPORE — The Government has alerted the public to false rumours going around that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong would make an announcement on Friday (April 17) night about an impending “partial lockdown”.

The fake message that has been circulating, purportedly from the Prime Minister’s Office, said the partial lockdown would see Singapore split into four sectors, and people would not be allowed to travel out of the region they live in. It claimed that the military and the police would be “enforcing” this lockdown.

Government website Gov.sg said this was untrue, as it urged the public not to spread unverified information.

“To find out if Prime Minister Lee will be making a statement, please refer to government sources or PM Lee’s official social media platforms only,” Gov.sg said.

Referring to the fake message on the "partial lockdown", Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin called for a stop to the spread of false news.

“The stuff going around is pure nonsense. These actions are deliberate and it is dangerous to play these tricks during these times,” he said in a Facebook post.

“I hope we track down those who are responsible for generating this and also sharing the fake news."