Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) regrets the "unfounded assertions" made by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Facebook and Twitter, the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday, May 19.
Kejriwal had claimed that a Covid-19 variant "found in Singapore" was "extremely dangerous" for children and could lead to a third wave of infections in India. The B.1.617.2 variant was first detected in India.
MFA said it is disappointed that a prominent political figure had "failed to ascertain the facts before making such claims", and that it has met the High Commissioner of India P Kumaran to express these concerns.
Vivian: "politicians should stick to facts"
Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan had replied to Kejriwal's tweet on May 19, saying "politicians should stick to facts", and clarifying that there is no "Singapore variant".
MOH: "no truth whatsoever"
The Ministry of Health previously refuted his claim, saying the B.1.617.2 variant "originated in India".
In a press release on May 18 night, MOH said there was "no truth whatsoever" to assertions.
MFA's full statement
You can see MFA's full statement below:
"MFA regrets the unfounded assertions made on Facebook and Twitter by Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal that a variant of COVID-19 found in Singapore was particularly harmful to children and could cause a third wave of infections in India. MFA is disappointed that a prominent political figure had failed to ascertain the facts before making such claims. MFA met the High Commissioner of India P Kumaran this morning to express these concerns.
As highlighted by MOH in its press release of 18 May 2021, there is no “Singapore variant”. The strain prevalent in many of the COVID-19 cases in recent weeks is the B.1.617.2 variant, which was first detected in India."
Top image from Arvind Kejriwal's Facebook page.