Hey, Miami. Stop sharing this bogus post about the Stafford Act in every WhatsApp chat
Not. Happening.
We can still leave the house. So calm down, folks.
Though your various WhatsApp chats may be telling you different things.
A disturbing message has been circulating for the last two weeks and due to its mass circulation has managed to stay alive to freak out family and friends.
Politifact already debunked it, as did the Los Angeles Times and others.
So here we go again.
The message that the United States is about to enter a period of federally mandated quarantine is fake news, to quote our president.
We wouldn’t blame you if you thought it was authentic, since it looks so insider-y and hush-hush, like you’re in on a big state secret. The “source” is somebody or other who works in the government and/or military or a friend or relative of someone who does.
Though the wording varies, the message is the same: That the U.S. will be going into quarantine for the next 14 days, and that everyone will have to stay at home and not be allowed to leave. That translates to more hoarding, panic shopping and general feelings of dread. Apparently, the point. But who needs more of that?
Here is a sample of the verbage of the hoax text (spelling errors included):
“Hello. Just got this from my contact at FEMA. Please take heed...Homeland security is preparing to mobilize the national guard. Preparing to dispatch them across the US along with military. they will also call in 1st responders. they are preparing to announce a nationwide2 week quarantine for all citizens,All businesses closed. Everyone at home. They will announce this as soon as they have troops in place to help prevent looters and rioters they will announce before the end of the weekend,within 48 to 72 Hours the president will evoke what is called the “Stafford Act”The president will order a two week mandatory quarantine for the nation.Stock up on whatever you need to make sure you have a two week supply of everything.Please forward to your family/friends.”
On Monday, the National Security Council was forced to shoot down the rumor, tweeting: “Text message rumors of a national #quarantine are FAKE. There is no national lockdown.”
The only authentic(ish) part of this hoax message is that President Trump did indeed invoke the Stafford Act, which has to do with money, not lockdowns.
According to FEMA, The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act of 1988 allows the federal government to tap into a $50 billion fund allocated to disaster relief.
This story was originally published March 20, 2020 at 3:53 PM.
