FACT CHECK: Did Joe Biden Sign An Executive Order Closing Gyms And Indoor Dining Due To The Delta Variant?
An image shared on Instagram claims President Joe Biden recently signed an executive order closing gyms and indoor dining due to the Delta variant.
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Verdict: False
Biden has not signed an executive order that shuts down gyms and indoor dining starting this month, the Federal Register website shows.
Fact Check:
The highly contagious Delta variant and its sub-lineages continue to circulate in the U.S. and, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention variant proportion estimates, made up over 98 percent of COVD-19 cases between Aug. 8 and Aug. 14.
What looks like a screen grab of a recent tweet alleges, “BREAKING NEWS: Joe Biden signed an executive order to prevent the rapid spread of the Delta Variant. Gyms, indoor dining, mass gatherings are among the many businesses forced to CLOSE. Effective 8/12/21.” Iterations of the tweet have also been shared on Facebook.
Biden has not, however, signed an executive order to that effect, a review of the respective Federal Register and White House websites found. None of Biden’s executive orders available online mandate the shutting down of gyms or indoor dining starting this month. The Federal Register, which publishes all executive orders signed by the president, lists the most recent executive order signed by Biden as one on Aug. 9 that targeted the Belarusian regime.
The inaccurate claim about Biden signing an executive order that closes gyms and indoor dining appears to stem from a recent tweet by the Twitter user @TheGainsGods. When a Twitter user replied saying the claim was “fake news,” the Twitter account appeared to acknowledge the claim was made up, tweeting, “You got me.”
Members of the Biden administration have stated in recent weeks that the U.S. will not need to return to COVID-19 lockdowns. (RELATED: Did Joe Biden Sign 52 Executive Orders In One Week?)
“I don’t think we’re going to see lockdowns,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), said on ABC News’ “This Week” in early August. “I think we have enough of the percentage of people in the country, not enough to crush the outbreak, but I believe enough to not allow us to get into the situation we were in last winter.”
White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Twitter in late July that the U.S. will not be going back to lockdowns. Her tweet came after she said during a briefing that the White House would follow CDC guidance when pressed by Fox News’ Peter Doocy about the administration’s stance on lockdowns.
We will not be going back into lockdowns. Why? Because we now have the tools to put this virus behind us. The science says the vaccines work – including against the Delta variant. We urge Americans to get vaccinated.
— Karine Jean-Pierre (@KJP46) July 29, 2021
“We will not be going back into lockdowns. Why? Because we now have the tools to put this virus behind us. The science says the vaccines work – including against the Delta variant. We urge Americans to get vaccinated,” Jean-Pierre tweeted.
