Illinois dispels coronavirus rumors about hunting seasons, highways
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Keep up with all the coronavirus news in southwestern Illinois
Stay updated with the events in southwestern Illinois that have been canceled or postponed because of coronavirus concerns.
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With the fast moving developments in the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, Illinois state agencies are sending out messages to dispel rumors.
Here’s the latest in the state’s battle against disinformation regarding COVD-19:
False rumor: Hunting seasons canceled
Illinois Department of Natural Resources Conservation Police officers said if you have a permit, you can still hunt and fish on sites that remain open. State parks and fish and wildlife areas have been closed to the public.
Also, the conservation police department said officers have heard of “a rumor and fake news website” stating the Department of Natural Resources is closing the 2020 - 2021 hunting seasons.
“This is completely FALSE,” the agency said in a Facebook post Monday morning.
“Please do not spread these lies and create more anxiety for the public and your fellow outdoorsmen..” the post stated.
False rumor: Highways closing
The Illinois National Guard posted on social media that its members are not closing highways.
“The latest false rumor is that the Illinois National Guard is shutting down highways within or out of the state. This is completely false,” the post said.
“The Illinois National Guard is only supporting COVID-19 medical missions or missions to increase the capacity of the medical community.”
Brig. Gen. Richard Neely, the adjutant general for the Illinois National Guard, told reporters Monday during a news conference with Gov. J.B. Pritzker that the National Guard is not providing security services.
Instead, the Guard is helping with operations planning in the medical, logistics and transportation fields.
“When we show up in camouflage, we tend to draw a crowd,” Neely said. “But we’re not bringing weapons, we’re not bringing anything like that. We’re bringing our professional skills to help out.”
False rumor: Troopers giving tickets
The Illinois State Police received a Facebook comment that troopers were giving out tickets to people in Springfield and Decatur for “being out when it’s not essential.”
Here’s the one-word response from Illinois State Police: “False.”
Tips to follow
The Associated Press has released information about how to decipher all the news and rumors regarding coronavirus.
“Be wary of important-sounding information that is not coming from a clear, authoritative source, such as local government agencies and health departments, or national and international public health institutes such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization,” The AP reported.
How to contact the BND with tips, concerns
If you have suggestions about something for the BND to cover regarding the coronavirus pandemic or if see a report that sounds suspicious on social media or anywhere else, please drop us a note at newsroom@bnd.com and include a link. We’ll check it out.
This story was originally published March 23, 2020 at 12:33 PM.
