Are all U.S. citizens entitled to $700 per week to stay at home to avoid the spread of the novel coronavirus? No, that's not true: The link in the posts takes viewers to a gorilla giving the middle finger. The post was a hoax related to the coronavirus, but the joke went viral and fooled some people.
The claim has appeared in several posts (archived here), one of which was published on Facebook by Britney Whitley on March 16, 2020. It opened:
All US Citizens are Entitled to $700 USD per week to stay at home to avoid the spread of COVID-19 novel Coronavirus, starting from March 16, 2020. The Government grant pay is accessible to all no matter employment status. Read full article here on how to claim:
https://external-preview.redd.it/vxPXEGgL4v8mCGw06IFGsmJNtqWQg-z60xQQ79dHKPY.jpg?auto=webp&s=db7685262e9b352a4888e547f52a244e2ea2cb9f
Users on social media only saw this:
Several similar posts are making the rounds, but they mention different amounts for the payout: $420, $900, while yet another suggests a range of $700-1,000.
Many of the posts use actual television news logos for the image to give the falsehoods an air of authenticity. However, all of the posts take readers to this link:
Lead Stories has debunked previous hoaxes that link to the same photo. And similar claims have been making the rounds that suggest every household will be getting a specific amount of money in the form of a stimulus check, even though lawmakers have not finalized those relief measures.
U.S. citizens may get some economic relief from Congress at some point, but that could still be a few weeks away. On March 17, 2020, the White House announced an $850 million stimulus package, which would also include support for businesses, according to The Washington Post.
Also, Republican Sen. Mitt Romney has suggested giving each American adult $1,000, to ensure economic stability, according to CNN. However, this is merely a proposal and has not been taken up by Congress.
Until lawmakers take up those measures, posts such as these are spreading some humor but not the truth.
Other fact checks by Lead Stories concerning coronavirus misinformation include:
- Fact Check: Italy Has NOT Mandated No Treatment Of All Elderly With Coronavirus
- Fact Check: A Banana A Day Does NOT Keep The Coronavirus Away
- Fact Check: 15 Minutes In Sauna Will NOT Kill The Coronavirus
- Fact Check: A Dog Vaccine Can NOT Be Used To Inoculate People Against Coronavirus
- Fact Check: The CDC Is NOT Warning People The Morel Mushroom Increases Coronavirus Risk By 200%
- Fact Check: Baby Formula NOT Necessarily Being Shipped For Free During Coronavirus Outbreak
- Fact Check: Train Was NOT Marked With "COVID-19" On Its Side
- Fact Check: NOT 10,000 Deaths In Virus Outbreak in Michigan, Washington, Idaho, North Dakota, Missouri, Mississippi
- Fact Check: CDC Did NOT Recommend Men Shave Their Beards To Protect Against Coronavirus
- Fact Check: Florida Man NOT Arrested For Robbery Using Cough As A Weapon
- Fact Check: Lysol Products Can Kill Older Strains Of Coronavirus, But Tests Have NOT Scientifically Proven They Kill Novel Coronavirus
- Fact Check: Hair Weaves And Lace Front Wigs Made In China NOT Likely To Contain Coronavirus
- Fact Check: Scientists Did NOT Discover That Cocaine Kills Coronavirus
- Fact Check: NO Evidence Coronavirus Is Bioweapon Leaked From Wuhan Lab
- Fake News: Six Coronavirus Cases NOT Confirmed In Wichita, Kansas (Or Several Other U.S. Cities)
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- Fake News: Latest Research Published By Chinese Scientists Did NOT Say Coronavirus Will Render Most Male Patients Infertile
- Fake News: NO Proof That High-Rise Buildings Have Become Human Incinerators To Combat Coronavirus
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