The White House National Security Council is again denying any forthcoming nationwide lockdown or federal order to ground airlines, warning Americans to "be skeptical" of any rumors that are floating around.
"As we saw over the wkend, disinfo is being spread online about a supposed national lockdown and grounding flights," the NSC posted on Twitter Thursday night. "Be skeptical of rumors. Make sure you’re getting info from legitimate sources. The @WhiteHouse is holding daily briefings and @cdcgov is providing the latest."
The denial comes after a similar message last Sunday when the NSC tweeted that "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"
Earlier this week, President Donald Trump acknowledged during a White House press briefing that authorities have discussed a national lockdown, but that they "haven't decided to do that," reports the New York Post.
Thursday night, California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an order that the state's 40 million residents must stay at home. The order restricts non-essential movements after several counties and communities issued similar orders. People may still leave their homes for walks and exercise and for essential needs such as food and medical care, and they can still have meals from restaurants delivered to their homes.
Also on Thursday, the State Department issued its highest-level advisory, a Level 4 warning, that Americans should not travel abroad and telling anybody who is currently overseas to return to the United States.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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