The White House Is Flat-Out Denying That It’s Considering a National Curfew

No, we are not considering a national curfew to deal with the coronavirus, the White House is insisting.

CNN reported Monday morning that the White House was in “active discussions” to “encourage” a nationwide curfew, according to CNN. But within minutes, the White House was pushing back, with the press secretary of Vice President Mike Pence, who’s leading the administration’s coronavirus response, flatly denying the report.

When reached for comment, White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere directed VICE News to his own tweet in which he claimed, “This is not true!”

Katie Miller also reportedly denied that domestic travel restrictions were in discussion as well. "I don't want bad information out there to scare people," she told PBS.

While curfews have been enacted in the recent past, such as in the case of the Baltimore uprising in 2015, when the city enacted a curfew in an attempt to ease tensions after the killing of Freddie Gray, it’s unclear whether a curfew has ever been imposed at the federal level.

While the administration continues to deny it’s considering a blanket curfew, some state and local governments are considering similar measures within their own jurisdictions. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown is expected to announce either a curfew or total shutdown for restaurants and bars this week, and the governors of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut announced in a joint press conference on Monday that movie theaters, gyms, and casinos would close and bars and restaurants can only offer delivery and takeout.

In the New Jersey city of Hoboken, just outside Manhattan, the mayor imposed a citywide curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. beginning Monday night, and Gov. Phil Murphy said on Sunday that he was considering a statewide nightly curfew as well.

Cover: Vice President Mike Pence speaks during a briefing on coronavirus in the Brady press briefing room at the White House, Saturday, March 14, 2020, in Washington, as Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Seema Verma, left, listens. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)