NEW DELHI: The consumer affairs ministry is finalizing a guideline for private companies to prohibit them from issuing or broadcast of any misleading advertisements relating Coronavirus COVID-19 and any other variant of these names.Officials said any such violation will attract penalty. “There have been instances where private companies have made false claims such as mats that can kill Coronavirus have come to our notice. Such claims in advertisement to mislead consumers will attract penalty. We are holding consultation with the stakeholders and we have received some suggestion,” a senior consumer affairs ministry official said.In recent weeks, there have been several advertisements of products and treatments on the web, in print and on TV, which have been making false claims of how effective their products are.Sources said the ministry will also notify the procedures that the retailer, manufacturer and distributors of masks and sanitizers would need to follow. These two items have been notified as essential commodities and thereby empowering states to crackdown on hoarding and against sale of these items at more than MRP.The ministry is also likely to ask e-commerce platforms to ensure hygiene and sanitation of their delivery personnel, kitchen, packing areas and delivery vehicles. “All last mile delivery staff suffering symptoms of common cold and flu should be taken off from their duties,” the draft guideline circulated for consultation said.Moreover, retailers, including organized retail chains will be advised to restrict the number of essential products to be sold to each customer based on demand and supply to discourage hoarding and to ensure fair availability.