Two women caught lying about outbreak to get time off work

Two South Korean women are in trouble with authorities after being caught lying about MERS to get time off work.

South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported on Friday that police charged a 20-year-old saleswoman at a department store for spreading a rumor online that it was hiding an outbreak of MERS among staff. Her boyfriend was charged for helping her post the rumor on Facebook via another user.

The woman, who lives in Incheon, told police that she began the rumor hoping the store would close and she could take time off. The Facebook post was taken down after the department store complained.