Trump Admin: Foreign Disinformation Campaign Is Taking Place to Cause Panic Over the Wuhan Coronavirus

Beth Baumann | March 16, 2020 9:45 PM

The Trump administration on Monday warned about a foreign disinformation campaign aimed at causing Americans panic over the Wuhan coronavirus.

According to the National Security Council, rumors about a nationwide lockdown are false.

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

A senior administration official told Fox News that rumors are swirling, particularly over a nationwide quarantine.

“There is an ongoing effort to spread disinformation and cause undue panic. There is no national quarantine for the United States," the official said. "It’s important we remain vigilant in ensuring our information is coming from verified sources.”

Vice President Mike Pence's Press Secretary, Katie Miller, also set CNN straight, saying that a nationwide curfew would not be taking place either.

This is not correct. https://t.co/Wh458d8TAK
— Katie Miller (@VPPressSec) March 16, 2020

Ken Cuccinelli, the Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, took to Twitter to remind Americans that there are a lot of rumors and misinformation out there.

Hey folks, we’re not shutting down the United States. Lots of serious mis-information being peddled out there!
— Acting Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli (@HomelandKen) March 16, 2020

According to the Associated Press, it's unclear whether or not China carried out the disinformation campaign, something the Trump administration has talked about in recent days.

"The U.S. Health and Human Services Department suffered a cyber-attack on its computer system Sunday night during the nation’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, according to three people familiar with the matter," Bloomberg reported. "The attack appears to have been intended to slow the agency’s systems down, but didn’t do so in any meaningful way, said the people, who asked for anonymity to discuss an incident that was not public."

The disinformation campaign comes as the Trump administration works to curtail the effects of the Wuhan coronavirus in the United States. Part of that strategy included announcing new CDC guidelines for people to follow, including limiting gatherings to 10 people and practicing social distancing.