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Why Do People Think There's Going To Be A 'Covid 2.0 Lockdown'? The Unfounded Rumor Explained
Over the past few weeks, you may have stumbled across a lot of panic and chatter from the anti-vaccination, COVID-19 denial crowd about an incoming lockdown, similar to what the world saw in 2020 at the onset of the pandemic. Screeds declaring these folks will "NOT COMPLY" and they "WILL NOT GO BACK" have been echoing in the corners of some social media pockets, though it may be unclear why.
No major news organizations have reported on incoming lockdowns, nor has the Biden administration made any indication that another lockdown is imminent. Here's how this rumor began spreading through some conservative pockets of the internet.
Why Do People Think There Is Going To Be Another COVID-19 Lockdown?
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the rumor of a second COVID-19 lockdown comes from Alex Jones and Infowars. On August 18th, 2023, Infowars ran a sensational headline, reading EXCLUSIVE: Biden Admin Preparing to Bring Back FULL Covid Restrictions, Rollout to Begin Mid-September. That day, Jones appeared on the Infowars show to ring the alarm about upcoming lockdowns.
😷✈️📈⏰ Infowars broke this story today. Sources contacted Alex and told him to let people know there is groundwork policy readied for another lockdown. Airline and border contacts.. Alex promised to celebrate in October if it's a dud.🍾🕺 pic.twitter.com/NgFxtX771X
— AlexJonesFan (@AlexJonesFan6) August 19, 2023
Jones and Infowars are both known for pushing conspiracy theories, and their article does not have any concrete information suggesting a new lockdown is imminent. What it does have is two anonymous, "high level" sources from two separate industries who made comments saying they have been told they will be required to wear masks to stay safe amidst rising COVID-19 cases.
Those sources are a "high ranking TSA official" who told Inforwars, "TSA managers were told new memorandums & policies were being completed that would reimplement masking, starting with TSA & airport employees as early as mid-September." A Border Patrol employee told Infowars that they have received similar guidelines.
By Infowars' own reporting, they were told that TSA and Border Patrol are prepping to reintroduce masking as cases rise (it's important to note that hospitalizations from COVID remain low and scientists say the recent COVID strains are less severe than previous strains).
Infowars extrapolated on this information and claimed that a second lockdown is being implemented by the Biden administration to improve the current president's re-election chances in the 2024 Presidential Election. They wrote:
Infowars’ analysis is clear: this new rollout’s timing is perfect for the embattled Biden administration to put the country back in a state of civil emergency and even martial law to further divide and confuse the public and move forward with the greatest election meddling in history.
Many times, Alex Jones has warned that the system will bring back biomedical tyranny. And the launch of this new crisis in September will allow a build-up of control that would allow the use of mail-in ballots for the next presidential election.
How Have Conservatives Responded?
Many conservatives, anti-vaxxers and COVID-19 deniers have picked up on Jones' hyperbolic warnings of a second lockdown by attempting to find more dots that could indicate a lockdown is imminent. Natalie Winters, a co-host on Steve Bannon's War Room, found publically available information about the government spending $7 million on COVID-related supplies, such as tests, and said it was proof the government was preparing for another lockdown.
Noted conservative talking head Mike Cernovich posted a screenshot of Pfizer's stock prices, implying that the government was on the precipice of inventing a COVID emergency to aid the pharmaceutical company.
Online, conservatives began announcing very loudly that they would not comply with any new lockdown or masking protocols that may come their way, and echoed Jones' hypothesis that a second lockdown was being planned by the Biden administration to give him an advantage in 2024.
Will There Be A Second COVID-19 Lockdown?
There is currently no evidence to suggest the federal government is planning to reimplement lockdowns to help curb the current rise of COVID-19 cases in the United States. Some private institutions, such as Morris Brown College in Atlanta, have reintroduced masking temporarily to help curb the spread of the virus there, but the Biden administration has made no announcement about a country-wide lockdown.
Even Infowars' own reporting does not support the theory that the Biden administration is planning another lockdown. The information they claim to have received from unnamed sources in government institutions only supports the idea that government institutions will reintroduce masking for employees, which is hardly the sort of "global lockdown" Americans experienced in 2020.
For more information, check out the COVID lockdown 2.0 conspiracy entry on Know Your Meme.
