Not fake, just overblown. There are common sense measures that can be taken without shutting everything down.
For example, the local Republican Party did not cancel the annual Lincoln Day Dinner. They had fewer people at each table, hand sanitizer within reach, and told people not to come in contact with each other (there’s usually a lot of hugging at these events).
I would prefer that shutdowns be local (county-level) unless 3/4 of the counties have a problem.