Social media users share a picture of a poster saying that there is a ‘National Mask Code’ and that there will be additional restrictions for unvaccinated people. The sign contains a phone number to call for more information, namely the Utah Department of Health. The department told Reuters by email that the poster did not belong to them and that the information on it was false.
Photos of the board were shared on Facebook (example here) With one early uploader saying it was shared by a friend of hers in St. Louis. George, Utah (seen here).
The top of the page reads: “Be a SAFE Citizen. Comply with the National Mask Code. ”
It then shows an image that suggests that unvaccinated people should wear red masks, while vaccinated people should wear blue. It indicates that people who have not been vaccinated will experience additional travel, trade and voting restrictions, as well as that they will be subject to a three-month lock-in. The same restrictions do not apply to vaccines, the sign indicates.
The poster then reads: “ONLY your official SECURE ID verification card will be accepted as proof of vaccination! Call 1-800 456-7707. ”
It’s difficult to depict one last line of the poster on the photos, but it seems to start: ‘If you have any questions, please contact the SAFE offices […]”
It is unclear what SAFE or a SAFE office is. However, the phone number on the poster is that of the Coronavirus Information Department in Utah.
The Utah Department of Health told Reuters in an email that he did not make the poster and that the information on it was untrue.
They wrote: “False and misleading information like this is harmful and dangerous in our fight against the pandemic.
‘There are no restrictions based on whether or not someone prefers to be vaccinated. Travel, lock-in, access to businesses or your voting rights are in no way linked to your choice to receive COVID-19 vaccines. The state of Utah will never require or ask you to wear a certain mask color to prove that you have been vaccinated. ”
The Department of Health has also asked people in Utah who are interested in the vaccine to seek information from “reputable medical and scientific organizations, such as coronavirus.utah.gov/vaccine.”
VERDICT
Untrue. The poster was not made by an official source, and the phone line for people seeking more information is that of the Utah Department of Health, which said the information on the poster was untrue. The Utah government does not require vaccines to wear color-coded masks or additional restrictions on unvaccinated people.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our work to actually check social media posts.