Maryland Coronavirus (COVID-19) Rumor Control Page Launches

Empowers Marylanders to Call Out False Information, Promote Facts

REISTERSTOWN, Md. (April 7, 2020) —The Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), in partnership with the Maryland Department of Health (MDH), and the Maryland Department of Information Technology (DoIT), today launched the Maryland Coronavirus (COVID-19) Rumor Control Page.  Marylanders are encouraged to visit the page at Bit.ly/Md-Covid19-Rumors.

“As part of the State Response to COVID-19, MEMA stood up its Joint Information Center to provide the right information to the right people at the right time so they can be empowered to make the right decisions,” said Jorge E. Castillo, MEMA’s spokesperson.  “We have been dispelling rumors and providing factual information since then, and we want Maryland residents to be able to participate in the process by helping us identify rumors and false information that could unnecessarily cause panic or worse, result in decision making that could lead to severe injuries or even death.”

Maryland’s Rumor Page allows visitors to:

• Read through several existing rumors and find the correct information in a variety of topics, including
  • The Novel Coronavirus and the disease it causes, COVID-19
  • Maryland and Federal Government Orders
  • Supplies
  • School / Education
• Subscribe to updates to be notified immediately once a new rumor has been identified and dispelled.
• Ask a question.
• See a digest of trusted sources and see their latest and most relevant social media posts in real time.
• Share the page easily to Facebook, Twitter, email, and more.

“If you see something, say something,” continued Castillo. “You can say it by clicking on the Submit a Rumor button on the right side of the page.”

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CONTACT:
Maryland COVID-19 Joint Information Center: pio.mema@maryland.gov