Over the past few days, a viral text message has been circulating a claim that President Trump will invoke a law known as the “Stafford Act” to mandate a national quarantine. This is a real case of fake news — it’s all bogus, made-up, a lie.
There appear to be several variants of this message, but each claim to have been told this information by “my military friends up in DC” who “just got out of a two hour briefing.” This is the message that I received:
There is a Stafford Act, and Trump used it to declare the coronavirus outbreak a national emergency. But he cannot and will not unilaterally order the country to shut down. Instead, the White House is directing citizens to their state governments for more information on specific restrictions and closures.
Text message rumors of a national #quarantine are FAKE. There is no national lockdown. @CDCgov has and will continue to post the latest guidance on #COVID19. #coronavirus
— NSC (@WHNSC) March 16, 2020
Several states have strictly limited the day-to-day operations of private businesses. Michigan, for example, has temporarily shut down all bars, restaurants, gyms, movie theaters, casinos, and spas starting this Monday at 3 p.m. The Trump administration recommends that citizens check in with their local and state governments for additional direction, since the restrictions will vary in every state.
There are people out there who are looking to use the coronavirus outbreak as an opportunity to stoke fear. Do not listen. Double check every single claim by going to WhiteHouse.gov or CDC.gov and ignore emails or text messages that claim to have secret, new information about the COVID-19 virus.
