CHICAGO — The Illinois National Guard wants to clear up some rumors circulating on social media.
It posted on Facebook that there are “a lot of rumors going around about the Illinois National Guard being activated to enforce a quarantine in Chicago or other areas of the state.” The post said some people even shared videos of a train moving military equipment near the City of Chicago.
“We confirmed with our logistics officer that we haven't had trains moving Illinois National Guard equipment through Chicago in more than a month. These are not our vehicles. The military moves equipment all the time. This has nothing to do with COVID-19 response,” it said on Facebook.
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker activated the Illinois National Guard earlier this week to help with the state’s response to the coronavirus. The majority of the 60 troops are medical with the mission of setting up a drive-thru screening site. The rest are planners, including medical planners and liaison officers, according to the Illinois National Guard.
“We have liaison officers embedded with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and the Illinois Department of Public Health. There has been NO discussion of using the Illinois National Guard to enforce a quarantine. “
The Illinois National Guard said there has been discussion of transportation, food distribution, construction and a few other missions but nothing about quarantining the City of Chicago or shutting down highways or “any other wild rumors that have been circulating.”
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