FACT CHECK: Does The CDC Deliver Groceries And Cleaning Supplies To People In Quarantine?

Trevor Schakohl | Legal Reporter

An image shared on Facebook claims the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will deliver groceries and cleaning products twice while someone quarantines.

Verdict: False

The CDC said it does not deliver groceries or cleaning supplies. The phone numbers listed are for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health’s contact tracing staff.

Fact Check:

The CDC recommends anyone who comes in close contact with someone infected with COVID-19 to quarantine for 14 days to help curb the spread of the disease. The image on Facebook claims the CDC will deliver groceries and cleaning products twice while one is in quarantine if either of the two numbers listed in the image are called.

However, the CDC does not deliver groceries and cleaning supplies to those in quarantine, according to CDC spokesperson Belsie González, who told Check Your Fact via email that such services would be “beyond the CDC’s role.” The website for the CDC does include information regarding COVID-19 safety guidelines for food and grocery delivery drivers as well as tips for food delivery safety.

The phone numbers in the image don’t connect to a CDC hotline. Check Your Fact called both numbers, which appear to be based in Philadelphia, and each played a pre-recorded message that states, “Thank you for calling the Health Center voicemail system. To access your voicemail box, press the pound sign.”

James Garrow, the director of communications for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, told Check Your Fact that the phone numbers belong to the COVID containment division’s contact tracing staff, not the CDC. (RELATED: Did The CDC Admit In This Document That ‘There Is No COVID-19’?)

“When someone tests positive for COVID, our contact tracers will reach out and try to connect them with services or supports if they need it,” Garrow explained in an email. “The Philadelphia Dept of Public Health does not provide those services, neither cleaning nor groceries.”

Trevor Schakohl

Legal Reporter
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