Text messages being sent to Americans warning of a national lockdown are fake, according to an announcement from the National Security Council.
“Text message rumors of a national #quarantine are FAKE,” the NSC said in a tweet on Sunday, just before midnight. “There is no national lockdown. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has and will continue to post the latest guidance on COVID19.”
The messages claim to be from someone’s “friend in the military” and advises people to stock up on two weeks’ worth of supplies. It also suggests forwarding the text to other people to warn them, too.
President Donald Trump on Friday invoked the Stafford Act while declaring a national state of emergency over the coronavirus. The act allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate the administration of disaster relief aid to state and local governments.
The CDC in its latest recommendation suggested that all mass gatherings with 50 or more people be canceled for the next eight weeks to stop the virus.
"Events of any size should only be continued if they can be carried out with adherence to guidelines for protecting vulnerable populations, hand hygiene, and social distancing. When feasible, organizers could modify events to be virtual," the CDC said in a statement.
"This recommendation does not apply to the day to day operation of organizations such as schools, institutes of higher learning, or businesses. This recommendation is made in an attempt to reduce introduction of the virus into new communities and to slow the spread of infection in communities already affected by the virus."
More than 3,370 people in the U.S. have been infected with the coronavirus, and 69 people have died.