Misinformation surges as COVID-19 cases rise

As COVID-19 cases rise, false, exaggerated and baseless claims that the United States government is preparing to implement a lockdown and other restrictions are spreading on social media. But they aren’t true. Let’s look at the facts.

Quick Look

No
Dr. Anthony Fauci did not declare in August 2023 that unvaccinated Americans need to be “locked down” this winter.
Yes
Fauci retired as chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden in December 2022 and has no authority to order lockdowns.
No
Managers at the Transportation and Safety Administration were not told that travel mask mandates are returning by mid-October and full lockdowns will be reinstated by December.
Yes
COVID-19 hospitalizations began inching upward in July but remain well below 2020 peak pandemic levels.

The Takeaway

Separating speculative claims from those supported by strong evidence can be a difficult task on social media, where purveyors of disinformation purposefully blur the lines between the two. When a handful of private businesses briefly reinstated mask mandates after local COVID-19 outbreaks in August, professional fearmongers spread the alarming but entirely unfounded claim that nationwide government mandated lockdowns were sure to follow and presented those assumptions as facts. But they’re not.

Partisan influencers and others trying to get attention online have long used claims about mask mandates, lockdowns and other anti-COVID-19 measures to elicit strong emotional responses. They also tend to frame recommendations from health professionals as threatening infringements on personal freedoms. These claims are designed to ignite anti-government sentiments and are often not supported by evidence, so they should be viewed with skepticism.

The 5 Factors

We’ve determined that this viral rumor is misleading or false based on its failure to pass the following credibility factors. Please note that these factors do not represent degrees of falsehood. A post that fails a single factor is generally just as false as a post that fails all five.

Snapshot

Source
Evidence
Reasoning
Authenticity
Context

Source

Has it been posted or confirmed by a credible source?

No.

This rumor was widely spread by partisans and conspiracy websites, such as Infowars, a disreputable online publication that frequently pushes falsehoods.

Evidence

Is there evidence that proves the claim?

No.

No government agencies or officials have called for the return of mask mandates.

Reasoning

Is it based on solid reasoning?

No.

Lockdowns remain a controversial political issue, but no evidence exists that an increase in COVID-19 cases over the summer is causing the government and health officials to declare their return this fall.

Authenticity