Taipei Times
Date: Mar 11, 2020
By: Jason Pan / Staff reporter

A Taoyuan woman was yesterday fined for posting false reports about COVID-19, as the Criminal Investigation Bureau continued to probe cases of people spreading unsubstantiated stories and misinformation about the outbreak.

The 62-year-old woman, surnamed Hsieh (謝), was fined NT$30,000 for posting on Feb. 7 on the messaging app Line that “as of Jan. 27, authorities had quarantined 48 people in Taoyuan suspected of being infected with the Wuhan virus, then added 10 more in the next two days, for a total of 58.”

Hsieh had breached Article 63 of the Communicable Disease Control Act (傳染病防治法) by “disseminating rumors or incorrect information concerning epidemic conditions of communicable diseases, resulting in damage to the public or others” and Article 151 of the Criminal Code by endangering “public safety by putting the public in fear of injury to life, body, or property,” prosecutors said.

As Hsieh admitted her mistake and showed remorse, prosecutors said they decided not to indict her.    [FULL  STORY]