Police booked an unidentified person for spreading rumours regarding the novel coronavirus on social media in Dabwali subdivision of Sirsa on Saturday.
The complainant, Dabwali civil hospital medical officer Dr Sudeep Goyal, said the health department had received a message on WhatsApp messenger saying that a man from Panniwala Morikan village, with a travel history to Italy, had been hospitalised with symptoms of Covid-19.
Goyal said the department checked all records and realised that the message had been hoax.
A police official, requesting anonymity, said soon after the message started circulating on different groups and officials of the health department had to go to Panniwala Morikan village to verify the information.
The accused has been booked under Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) on the complaint made by medical officer (MO) of Dabwali civil hospital.