Over the weekend, a text message went viral, copy/pasted to countless people, inaccurately asserting that Trump was about to use “the Stafford Act” for a national quarantine. One problem: he already used the Stafford Act. And it doesn’t cover quarantines.
There are different versions of this message making the rounds; I just received another version minutes ago—but this is what many people saw:
🚨MISINFORMATION: A text is being sent around saying Pres. Trump is going to “evoke the Stafford Act.”
Trump evoked the Stafford Act this past Friday, immediately debunking this text.
As sad as it is, here’s one more reason to be skeptical of EVERYTHING you read or hear. pic.twitter.com/d1k2uaHLCW
— Landon Wexler (@landonwexler) March 16, 2020
Trump invoked “the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act” on Friday, March 13th. The 1998 Act created a system by which “a presidential disaster declaration or an emergency declaration triggers financial and physical assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).” It allows the government, through FEMA, to gain access to a $50 billion disaster relief fund. Days before Trump’s action, Senator Elizabeth Warren was calling for the Act to be invoked.
I’m calling on the administration to issue a Stafford Act declaration that will open key funding and regulatory flexibility to help our health system. We need to rapidly expand diagnostic testing, help prepare our hospitals and local leaders, and fund care for the uninsured.
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) March 12, 2020
The mass viral nature of this debunked text message is one more reminder that we must look carefully at the information and rumors we receive during this time of crisis. Especially before we decide to pass it on to our entire contact list. All folks needed to do was google the Stafford Act and they would have seen what it was and that it was already invoked. These days we’re often copy/pasting and sharing information without founding across a wide variety of mediums, but for everyone’s mental health and welfare, we need to press pause and do our research. Beware of chaos agents!
In case chaos agents attempt to stoke further panic:
The Stafford Act declaration deals only with FEMA.
The National Emergencies Act gives sweeping presidential powers (control of internet, suspending laws, etc.)
Turn towards trusted sources & steer clear from fearmongers. https://t.co/L8vIjMvDii
— 🍂Selena Adera🍂 (@Selena_Adera) March 13, 2020
Sending messages like the one that went viral, intended to be helpful or be seen as the bearer of inside news, only spreads panic and mistrust, along with creating a “boy who cried wolf” situation. People need to believe in the truth of what’s happening during this coronavirus crisis, and the more stories are revealed to be actual hoaxes, the less likely they are to believe any of the messaging.
Who got the text re: #StaffordAct 🧐 do we all have the same second cousin’s brother’s father in law who is in the military?
— Arielle Lorre (@ArielleLorre) March 16, 2020
I wish I was as popular as everyone’s shared friend of a friend who just got out of a military briefing about the Stafford Act and a mandatory 2 week quarantine.
— Josh Boles (@joshboles) March 16, 2020
It’s understandable why people fell for this. It sounds plausible enough, cites an authority many people believe— “a friend in the military” —and it involves frightening ideas like shadowy acts of government and an extended enforced national quarantine. The thing is that state and/or national quarantines are a very real possibility in coming days, and it’s not a bad idea to be prepared and stock up (leave some toilet paper for the rest of us, though). But messages like this are damaging because they make a concept that may become a medical and practical necessity sound like a dystopian governmental overreach.
It never hurts to be cautious about potential government overreaches, of course, especially in this administration. But it’s also immensely damaging to pass on misinformation and have it spread like wildfire. Many, many people saw these texts and were sent into a panic by them, while they should have been reading and watching actual news and following official guidelines for how to prepare.
Thanks for sharing . My SIL just texted me in a near panic after her son forwarded her the text. I sent her your tweet & it seems to have helped. She’s still prepping, just now without the panic.
— Katie Lee (@promises2sweet) March 16, 2020
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
— NSC (@WHNSC) March 16, 2020
And people with any sort of platform must do their due diligence before mindlessly rushing to disseminate false information.
Hi, I’ve been seeing this all day and it is just entirely fake news.
1. Trump already invoked the Stafford Act on FRIDAY
2. There is no existing federal law that allows for the mandatory quarantine of an entire country, including Stafford, which allows for FEMA to provide funding https://t.co/Pt4nQke8wt— A.J. Manuzzi (@AJMoz19) March 16, 2020
Please do your part combatting inaccurate info in this trying time. And remember:
PSA
If you get this text, it’s fake. Also, people who take advantage of situations like this SUCK.#StaffordAct #Quarantine pic.twitter.com/PN4vtiRuwV
— Warrior Nation Gaming (@WarriorNationGm) March 16, 2020
(image: Pexels)
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