Government officials on Sunday debunked a supposed text message circulating that there will be a nationwide lockdown from December 23 to January 3 amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In a text message to reporters, Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the message is “fake news”.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano also said the alleged message is not true and the Interagency Task Force did not recommend anything like that.

“The IATF has no proposal like that and there is no basis,” Ano said.

“I call on everyone to refrain from passing or posting unverified or unvalidated information so as not to create panic among the public,” he said.

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles told the public not to spread fake news especially during this time of pandemic.

“Know the truth. Don’t believe and don’t spread fake news especially during this time. Let’s continue on being responsible to ourselves and to our family,” Nograles said.

For his part, retired General Restituto Padilla, spokesperson of the National Task Force Against COVID-19, advised the public to verify first the information they received before sharing it to other people.

“Everyone is strongly advised not to believe news or information coming from unverified sources. Please ensure you verify or ask authorities or trusted organizations about the veracity of such information before believing and passing it around,” Padilla said.

“Let us not be instruments of fake news distribution and help our fellow kababayans,” he added. Ella Dionisio/DMS