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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

What We’ve Learned About So-Called ‘Lockdowns’ and the COVID-19 Pandemic

What We’ve Learned About So-Called ‘Lockdowns’ and the COVID-19 Pandemic

Plenty of peer-reviewed studies have found government restrictions early in the pandemic, such as business closures and physical distancing measures, reduced COVID-19 cases and/or mortality, compared with what would have happened without those measures. But conservative news outlets and commentators have seized on a much-criticized, unpublished working paper that concluded “lockdowns” had only a small impact on mortality as definitive evidence the restrictions don’t work.

Trump Ad Lifts Fauci Praise Out of Context

Trump Ad Lifts Fauci Praise Out of Context

A Trump campaign ad uses a clip of Dr. Anthony Fauci praising federal public health officials — saying that he “can’t imagine that … anybody could be doing more” — and makes it seem like Fauci was personally complimenting the president. Fauci says the ad lifted his words “out of context.”

Trump Campaign Aide’s Dubious Claim on Protecting the President

Trump Campaign Aide’s Dubious Claim on Protecting the President

A senior adviser to President Trump’s campaign made the dubious claim that Trump was “probably the most protected person on Earth,” because his visitors “must submit to a COVID test” and “people don’t physically get close” to him.

Trump Misquotes Fauci on Coronavirus Threat

Trump Misquotes Fauci on Coronavirus Threat

Defending his early response to the coronavirus pandemic, President Donald Trump wrongly claimed that in late February, Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was saying, “This is no problem. This is going to blow over.”