Feds warn of fake virus news
NSC debunks ‘national lockdown’ claim; Pentagon earlier blamed China
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration says a foreign disinformation campaign is underway aimed at spreading fear in the country amid the coronavirus pandemic, including spreading the false rumor that the nation would be locked down in quarantine, three U.S. officials said Monday.
The rumors, coupled with a cyber incident involving computer networks at the Department of Health and Human Services, prompted coordinated action Sunday evening by agencies across the government to deny that any such plans were put in place, as they tried to calm a nation already on edge because of massive disruptions to daily life.
“Text message rumors of a national #quarantine are FAKE,” the National Security Council tweeted Sunday night. “There is no national lockdown.” The NSC encouraged Americans to follow official government guidance.
It was unclear if the disinformation effort was related to administration officials’ complaints in recent days that China was spreading misinformation about the U.S.
States and municipalities have banned large public gatherings, closed schools, bars and restaurants, and advised people to exercise so-called social distancing to slow the spread of the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Sunday issued new guidance recommending against indoor gatherings larger than 50 people for the next eight weeks, though those requirements would not apply to schools.
The nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said Sunday that Americans should aim to severely curtail leaving their homes, but he did not indicate the government would order such a move. He was specifically questioned on whether he’d like to see a “national lockdown.”
“I think Americans should be prepared that they are going to have to hunker down significantly more than we as a country are doing,” said Fauci, a member of the White House task force on combating the spread of coronavirus. He heads the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health.
Last week, the Pentagon accused the Chinese government of promulgating “false & absurd conspiracy theories about the origin of COVID-19 blaming U.S. service members.”
Also Monday, national security officials said there had been a cyber incident involving the computer networks of Health and Human Services, but that the networks were operating normally. They didn’t detail the scope of the incident.
“HHS and federal government cybersecurity professionals are continuously monitoring and taking appropriate actions to secure our federal networks,” according to National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot.
U.S. intelligence officials have repeatedly cautioned that Russia, China, Iran and other countries are engaged in ongoing efforts to influence U.S. policy and voters in elections. They engage in covert social media campaigns using fictional personae, bots, social media postings and disinformation aimed at dividing American public opinion and sowing discord in the electorate.