The National Security Council issued a statement on Twitter late Sunday night knocking down rumors that a nationwide quarantine was going to be imposed over the Wuhan coronavirus based on the Stafford Act.

“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”

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

The statement was almost immediately retweeted by Dan Scavino on his White House account.

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https://twitter.com/Scavino45/status/1239399699502772225

The White House also refuted the rumors on Sunday night.

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

Examples of the bogus rumor text message:

Someone sent me that Stafford Act hoax yesterday and I immediately saw it was fake Whoever started this disinfo spread it so far the @WHNSC even had to slap it down Interesting… pic.twitter.com/nVB31DJWfn — Jack Posobiec (@JackPosobiec) March 16, 2020

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

I have now received this text message from six friends. One said a military “insider” sent it to them. Y’all gotta cut this out. Stafford Act was declared Friday. It’s a tool to coordinate aid. Does not suspend habeas. Military not dropping in to quarantine you: pic.twitter.com/YcQ1ZwF3ux — G O L D I E. (@goldietaylor) March 16, 2020

President Trump invoked the Stafford Act on Friday.

Rumors have also been spreading online. Example, “Get ready for a 14 day quarantine and massive CDC testing in the next week. I am hearing they will announce it Tuesday, but it could be rolled out on a state by state basis. You heard it here first.”

Get ready for a 14 day quarantine and massive CDC testing in the next week. I am hearing they will announce it Tuesday, but it could be rolled out on a state by state basis. You heard it here first. https://t.co/Q7PF7KQjNM — Michael Coudrey (@MichaelCoudrey) March 16, 2020

And an audio clip rumor warning of a looming four-week quarantine.

This is Chris Browns Instagram story. The person featured says her family works for the Pentagon, who advised her that the US Government is planning to announce a 1 week quarantine for the entire country. Spread awareness — prepare before it’s too late.pic.twitter.com/qQAft7Kfpt — Michael Coudrey (@MichaelCoudrey) March 13, 2020

There will likely be localized containment zones and maybe local quarantines. Mostly there will be shutdowns of schools, businesses, sports and entertainment complexes lasting several weeks or one to two months in an effort to minimize spread of the virus among crowds of people in order to ‘flatten the curve’ of the growth rate of infections to keep hospitals and emergency services from being overwhelmed.