Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf dismissed the notion of an impending national lockdown or quarantine in the U.S. during an interview on Fox News Sunday morning.
After saying that he’s been contacted numerous times about text messages and screenshots warning of a national lockdown or a national quarantine, Wolf said the messages are “absolutely false” and that it’s “part of a disinformation campaign.”
“What we know — whether it’s Russia or whether it’s other cyber actors — they like to sow discord on any controversial issue,” Wolf said. “So, it doesn’t just have to be elections. It can be any issue. And we’re seeing that now with the coronavirus.”
Wolf went on to urge Americans to not believe or spread the rumors and to get information from state and federal officials.
On Friday, the White House’s National Security Council tweeted that text messages and emails about an impending national shutdown are “absolutely false.”
Last month, the World Health Organization, which classified the coronavirus outbreak as a “pandemic,” acknowledged that the response to the outbreak has been accompanied by an “infodemic” — an overabundance of accurate and inaccurate information that impedes the public’s ability to find reliable guidance.
Watch Wolf’s remarks below:
Acting DHS Sec. Chad Wolf says rumors of a national lockdown or quarantine are part of a "disinformation campaign" pic.twitter.com/2iMZjMBxSf
— Talking Points Memo (@TPM) March 22, 2020
