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Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy. We need your help. More Info ### I would like to contribute One Time Monthly Yearly Join Now ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on April 6, 2020 in a Facebook post: Says a photo shows South Carolina after stay-at-home orders were announced. ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") * Facebook Fact-checks * Coronavirus * Facebook posts ![\\"Ciara](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke April 13, 2020 # This is an old photo of Houston, not South Carolina during the pandemic #### If Your Time is short * A supposed photo of South Carolina after stay-at-home orders is actually a 2017 shot of downtown Houston during rush hour. See the sources for this fact-check Communities around the country have responded differently to social distancing recommendations, with some cities and states directing residents to shelter in place while others have resisted shutting down. A recent Facebook post seems to pointedly illustrate these differences with three photos. \"After they announce to everyone to ‘stay at home,’\" the text above three different images says. The first two show empty cityscapes and are labeled \"Chicago\" and \"New York.\" The third shows a highway clogged with cars. This photo is labeled \"South Carolina.\" The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.) ![](\\" That supposed photo of South Carolina? It’s Houston. The Houston Chronicle ran it with a 2017 story about traffic congestion. According to the caption, it shows traffic on Interstate 45 around downtown Houston during the afternoon rush hour. #### Featured Fact-check ![](\\" ![](\\" Jeffrey Barke stated on August 23, 2024 in an Instagram post Food and Drug Administration approval for updated COVID-19 vaccines requires a public health emergency declaration. ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") By Jeff Cercone • August 27, 2024 The image labeled Chicago appears to be a photo of Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago — based on the architectural landmarks — but it’s not of the city under a stay-at-home order. We found it posted to a website called desktopbackground.org three years ago. The photo is reversed. Only the photo labeled New York actually shows Times Square in New York City during the pandemic. It’s true that South Carolina was behind New York and Chicago in issuing statewide orders limiting the movements of its residents. Charleston and Columbia, S.C., told people to stay at home before the state issued its statewide mandate. Gov. Henry McMaster didn’t direct all South Carolinians to follow suit until this month. The order was effective on April 7. But this Facebook post misrepresents what that looked like in South Carolina, using an old photo of Houston to claim that South Carolinians are flouting the law. We rate this Facebook post False. #### Read About Our Process The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter ### Our Sources Facebook post, April 6, 2020 The New York Times, See which states and cities have told residents to stay at home, updated April 7, 2020 Houston Chronicle, Adding lanes doesn’t reduce congestion. So what is TxDOT doing?, Oct. 18, 2017 Desktopbackground.org, Empty city street wallpaper, uploaded Oct. 25, 2016 Insider, Eerie photos of some of America’s biggest cities that are empty due to the coronavirus, March 17, 2020 ## Browse the Truth-O-Meter ### More by Ciara O\'Rourke slide 4 to 6 of 15 ![](\\" logo-black-01/b6cedac93f6e57c68ecc025e5ec29d57.jpg\\") ![](\\" logo-black-01/438dbf066033f99de07598cbcc77ddcb.jpg\\") Threads posts stated on August 2, 2024 in a Threads post: “Mike Tyson says he’s willing to box Olympic DUDE with all proceeds to go to a battered women’s charity.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • August 9, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 5, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Caitlin Clark declines $1 million offer from ABC to appear on ‘The View.’” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • August 9, 2024 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on August 2, 2024 in an Instagram post: President Joe Biden walked “onto an empty airplane for no reason.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • August 7, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 14, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Nike announces termination of contract with Brittney Griner after ‘strong backlash’ from online community.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • August 27, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 20, 2024 in a Facebook post: “All students who knelt during the national anthem were rounded up and removed from scholarships” at the University of Texas. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • August 26, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 21, 2024 in una publicación en Facebook: “Elon Musk pide la prohibición de ‘The View’, ‘prefiero caminar descalzo sobre asfalto caliente que ver The View’”. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Marta Campabadal Graus • August 26, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on August 17, 2024 in a Facebook post: Video shows former President Donald Trump thought he was in North Carolina while he spoke in Pennsylvania. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • August 22, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on August 19, 2024 in a Threads post: “PA Gov Josh Shapiro isn’t attending the DNC at all.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • August 21, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on August 19, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Travis Kelce kneels during national anthem fined $10 million and thrown out of the game.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • August 21, 2024 ![](\\" black/4590875651af69b2c789ceab409664dd.jpg\\") ![](\\" black/72988380e8c8bd188dc360d11552e4a0.jpg\\") X posts stated on August 19, 2024 in an X post: Democrats dyed the “Chicago River red to celebrate abortion.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • August 20, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 14, 2024 in a Facebook post: Actor Mel Gibson told talk show host Oprah Winfrey, “You sell children!” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • August 19, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on August 7, 2024 in an Instagram post: Says Elon Musk posted on X, “Any harassment of Trump supporters using the term ‘weird’ will be punished.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • August 15, 2024 ![](\\" logo-black-01/b6cedac93f6e57c68ecc025e5ec29d57.jpg\\") ![](\\" logo-black-01/438dbf066033f99de07598cbcc77ddcb.jpg\\") Threads posts stated on August 10, 2024 in a Threads post: Video shows former President Donald Trump freezing up. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • August 14, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on August 8, 2024 in a Facebook post: Says Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz had his stomach pumped “after overingesting horse semen.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • August 9, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on August 6, 2024 in a Threads post: Photo shows former President Donald Trump “asleep at the 2017 NATO summit.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • August 9, 2024 ![](\\" logo-black-01/b6cedac93f6e57c68ecc025e5ec29d57.jpg\\") ![](\\" logo-black-01/438dbf066033f99de07598cbcc77ddcb.jpg\\") Threads posts stated on August 2, 2024 in a Threads post: “Mike Tyson says he’s willing to box Olympic DUDE with all proceeds to go to a battered women’s charity.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • August 9, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 5, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Caitlin Clark declines $1 million offer from ABC to appear on ‘The View.’” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • August 9, 2024 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on August 2, 2024 in an Instagram post: President Joe Biden walked “onto an empty airplane for no reason.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • August 7, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 14, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Nike announces termination of contract with Brittney Griner after ‘strong backlash’ from online community.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • August 27, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 20, 2024 in a Facebook post: “All students who knelt during the national anthem were rounded up and removed from scholarships” at the University of Texas. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • August 26, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 21, 2024 in una publicación en Facebook: “Elon Musk pide la prohibición de ‘The View’, ‘prefiero caminar descalzo sobre asfalto caliente que ver The View’”. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Marta Campabadal Graus • August 26, 2024 ### This is an old photo of Houston, not South Carolina during the pandemic * ![](\\" ![](\\" J.D. Vance stated on August 7, 2024 in a campaign event in Eau Claire, Wisconsin: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed a law that would “take children away from their parents if the parents don’t want to consent to sex changes.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Grace Abels • August 27, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Threads posts stated on August 25, 2024 in Threads post: Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that Kamala Harris used to be a man named Kamal Aroush. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Sofia Ahmed • August 27, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Jeffrey Barke stated on August 23, 2024 in an Instagram post: Food and Drug Administration approval for updated COVID-19 vaccines requires a public health emergency declaration. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Jeff Cercone • August 27, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Jesse James stated on May 13, 2024 in News conference: In Wisconsin, “a legislative committee cannot release funding.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Laura Schulte • August 27, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 14, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Nike announces termination of contract with Brittney Griner after ‘strong backlash’ from online community.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • August 27, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Threads posts stated on August 23, 2024 in a Threads post: Lowe’s CEO Marvin Ellison said on CNBC, “If conservatives do not like our values, they should take their money to Home Depot.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Loreben Tuquero • August 26, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 20, 2024 in a Facebook post: “All students who knelt during the national anthem were rounded up and removed from scholarships” at the University of Texas. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • August 26, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Instagram posts stated on August 19, 2024 in a post: Kamala Harris has adopted the Nazi-rooted phrase “Strength Through Joy” as her campaign slogan. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Sara Swann • August 26, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 22, 2024 in Facebook posts: Jason Aldean rejected a $500 million music collaboration with Taylor Swift. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Sofia Ahmed • August 26, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 21, 2024 in una publicación en Facebook: “Elon Musk pide la prohibición de ‘The View’, ‘prefiero caminar descalzo sobre asfalto caliente que ver The View’”. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Marta Campabadal Graus • August 26, 2024 Load more ### Support independent fact-checking. 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A photo shows South Carolina after stayathome orders were announced