A 41-year-old man in central Vietnam has been fined $327 for faking a positive Coronavirus (COVID-19) test so he could avoid going to work, state media said on Tuesday.

Police in Dak Nong province in Vietnam’s central highlands region said on Sunday that the man, who remains unnamed, was fined for spreading false information.

His ‘positive’ test result sparked concern among local health officials, yet subsequent testing of the man produced negative results.

An investigation found that the man, who worked for a local telecommunication company, had been asked to carry out routine testing for COVID-19.

After he received a negative test result, the man forged a positive result to avoid going back to work.

In Vietnam, people caught spreading misleading information about the pandemic that causes distress among the community may be fined by local officials, while those caught spreading COVID-19 may be imprisoned.

In early September, police issued a $210 fine to a woman in Ho Chi Minh City for sharing criticism of the government’s handling of the pandemic on Facebook.

On September 6, a court in Vietnam sentenced the man to five years in prison for spreading COVID-19.

Since the start of the pandemic, Vietnam has reported more than 680,000 COVID-19 cases and more than 17,000 deaths.

(dpa/NAN)