Preston City Council yesterday reported a Facebook post claiming that The Sun Hotel had closed due to a ‘Loravirus’ outbreak.
AdvertisementThe post, made by the page Social Distancing Enforcement England, claimed that the council had ordered the Friargate hotel to close after several customers complained during a ‘football game’ at the venue.
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The council refuted the claims and said once they were made aware of the post, they reported it to Facebook as it is ‘completely untrue’ and ‘potentially damaging’ to the business.
Councillor David Borrow, a cabinet member for planning and regulation, said: “We were made aware of the Facebook post by the manager of the premises and quickly determined, with the help of the environmental health team, it was a hoax/fake news article.
“As a local authority, it’s our duty to make residents aware of this type of damaging content and would encourage everyone to check their news sources before believing everything they read on social media.”
In the post, Social Distancing Enforcement England said one hotel patron told them that they felt ‘a sudden feeling of throwing up and had a funny taste like fish’.
They further claimed that the owner of The Sun Hotel has launched an investigation into the cause of the alleged illness and finished the post by reminding the public that they need to ‘continually wash before attending the venue’.
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