A video on X, previously known as Twitter, purports to display an executive order from Tennessee to create “quarantine internment camps.” The video captures a computer screen featuring a document.
The video highlights a segment of the order that reads, “Temporary quarantine and isolation facilities may be constructed.” This segment pauses a section of the state’s regulations to permit “the building of temporary structures that would typically require review.”
Initially, the order was due to conclude on Oct. 5, 2021. However, it saw two extensions through subsequent executive orders, lasting until Nov. 19, 2021. No further extensions can be found among the governor’s executive orders listed on the Tennessee Secretary of State’s website.
The overlaying text claims, “SEVERAL STATES ARE NOW ISSUING EXECUTIVE ORDERS FOR QUARANTINE INTERNMENT CAMPS ACROSS THE U.S.! THIS IS ALARMING! WHAT’S THE HIDDEN AGENDA?”
However, this assertion is not accurate. Upon investigation, Check Your Fact couldn’t find any reliable media coverage corroborating the establishment of such camps in Tennessee or elsewhere. The document in the video is dated Aug. 6, 2021, and pertains to Tennessee Governor Bill Lee’s COVID-19 strategies.
Specifically, section 18 states, “Temporary quarantine and isolation facilities may be set up.” This assertion does not allude to “quarantine internment camps” in any manner. The mentioned order lapsed on Oct. 5, 2021, as per the shown document.
Examining the order’s content reveals no mention of permitting National Guard members to “abduct” individuals or transfer them to isolation centers.
When approached by AFP regarding the assertion, Governor Lee’s office pointed to a letter addressed to the state’s General Assembly, penned by Brent Easley, the governor’s legislative director. In the letter, Easley called the allegations “patently untrue” and stated that “such speculations misrepresent Executive Order 83.”
Separately, Americans can now opt to receive four complimentary COVID-19 test kits via post following the Biden administration’s decision to restart the initiative, as noted by Axios. Previously, the government distributed 755 million free tests nationwide, but this was halted in May, as reported by CNN.
