Did Bossier City, Louisiana, issue a curfew for all residents due to the novel coronavirus? No, that's not true: The site making the claim is known for creating prank stories. Above the story's headline is a note in small type that says, "It's a joke :) You've been pranked!"
The claim originated in an article published by react2424.com on March 13, 2020, titled "Curfew issued for Bossier City due to corona virus" (archived here). It opened:
Mayor Lo Walker and the Bossier city police dept. have issued a 9PM curfew for all residents until further notice You may not use the roads and are required to be inside a residence till 6am. (This does not apply to people traveling through on the interstate) Not complying could land you jail time and fines. Bos
Users on social media only saw this:
Curfew issued for Bossier City due to corona virus
Mayor Lo Walker and the Bossier city police dept. have issued a 9PM curfew for all residents until further notice You may not use the roads and are required to be inside a residence till 6am. (This does not apply to people traveling through on the interstate) Not complying could land you jail time and fines. Bos
The claim is completely untrue. The main page of the react2424.com gives users a template for pranking their friends by creating fake news. In small type above the headline is this disclaimer:
Even so, the story has been shared more than 92,000 times as of March 14, 2020. Like other fake news websites, it appears like a genuine news site and has probably fooled some readers into believing the story is true.
While the Louisiana governor has closed schools to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the Bossier City website has no information about a curfew for residents.
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