Could you really pull it off without some data actually missing? Perhaps, but with a big risk of discovery.
On the other hand, perhaps you are right: if you have a well established, highly authorized and maybe a bit isolated crisis intervention plan/team they should be able to initiate preventative lockdown protocols perfectly indistinguishable from the real thing, with only a very small conspiracy knowing that it was started for no good reason.
On the other hand, perhaps you are right: if you have a well established, highly authorized and maybe a bit isolated crisis intervention plan/team they should be able to initiate preventative lockdown protocols perfectly indistinguishable from the real thing, with only a very small conspiracy knowing that it was started for no good reason.