No, Dr. Fauci didn't say unvaccinated 'must be locked down' this winter | Fact check

Chris Mueller, USA TODAY
·3 min read
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The claim: Fauci declared unvaccinated people 'must be locked down' this coming winter

An Aug. 23 article by The People's Voice claims a prominent doctor warned of the need for impending lockdowns for unvaccinated people.

"Fauci Declares That ALL Unvaccinated Citizens Must Be Locked Down This Winter," reads the article's headline.

The article was shared on Facebook more than 500 times in six days, according to CrowdTangle, a social media analytics tool.

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Our rating: False

Fauci did not say unvaccinated people should be locked down in the coming months. He briefly discussed the purpose of lockdowns during a recent interview. The claim comes from a site that frequently publishes misinformation.

Fauci did not warn of coming lockdowns

The article references a virtual event that featured Dr. Anthony Fauci and was hosted by Wayne State University. The 40-minute discussion was streamed Aug. 15 and can still be viewed on YouTube. It was about "lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic," according to the YouTube video's caption.

However, at no point in the interview does Fauci say that all unvaccinated people "must be locked down" this coming winter, as the article's headline claims.

Fauci retired from his position as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the end of 2022. He worked at the institute for more than 54 years, including 38 years as director. His replacement, Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, was announced in early August.

Dr. Teena Chopra, a professor of medicine at Wayne State University, does ask Fauci about lockdowns. Her question, though, wasn't about supposedly imminent lockdowns, but rather whether the country can avoid lengthy lockdowns by adequately preparing for future pandemics.

Fauci responded by explaining the purpose of lockdowns, while also emphasizing that they always need to be accompanied by a plan to reopen. He makes no mention of impending lockdowns for unvaccinated people.

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The article correctly quotes one of Fauci's comments about lockdowns but takes it out of context. He was speaking hypothetically while explaining possible reasons for locking down during a disease outbreak.

“One of the purposes, if you don’t have a vaccine, it’s to get more ventilators, get the hospitals better prepared, get more people involved in the health care sector to do it, until you decompress the pressure on the hospitals, then you can open up," he said. "If you have a vaccine available, you might want to lock down temporarily so you can get everybody vaccinated.”

There are no credible news reports of Fauci advocating for lockdowns of any kind this coming winter.

USA TODAY has previously debunked numerous false claims about Fauci and his role in the country's pandemic response, including claims that he admitted masks were a failure, said the most potent vaccination is getting infected and admitted COVID-19 vaccines were not working as advertised.

The People's Voice, previously known as NewsPunch, has repeatedly published fabricated stories, many of which USA TODAY has debunked. USA TODAY reached out to The People's Voice for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

The Associated Press and Lead Stories also debunked the claim.

Our fact-check sources:

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fauci discussed purpose of lockdowns during interview | Fact check

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