MONTREAL -- Quebec's College of Physicians has issued a warning to the province's doctors who talk about COVID-19 on social media: denying the importance of the virus, or encouraging citizens to deconfine themselves quickly, not only goes against directives of public health, but also of their code of ethics.

The College is urging them to be careful when writing comments about COVID-19 on Twitter or Facebook.

The reminder was issued Wednesday via a press release.

The College said it was informed by its investigations division that doctors were using social media to voice their opinions about the COVID-19 pandemic.

It reminded doctors that their ethical obligations always hold "even when they express themselves from a personal point of view" on social media.

In no way should such communications on these platforms be used to express opinions or disseminate messages that are contrary to scientific standards, the College said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 3, 2020.