Following the data-driven approach that has guided
Illinois’ coronavirus response, the campaign uses local information
to advertise on broadcast and cable television, radio, billboards
and social media to the communities with the greatest risk from
COVID-19.
The Governor launched the campaign from the State Emergency
Operations Center in Springfield with those who are helping to lead
the state’s response: Dr. Ngozi Ezike, Director of the Illinois
Department of Public Health, and Alicia Tate-Nadeau, Director of the
Illinois Emergency Management Agency. As of Friday, 11 counties have
now reached IDPH’s “warning level” for virus spread, including here
in Sangamon County.
“I’m proud to launch a new public awareness campaign today that has
a straightforward message for Illinoisans: A mask is like anything
that keeps us safe. It only works if you wear it,” said Governor JB
Pritzker. “We’ve made so much progress since the beginning of this
pandemic. Let’s protect that progress. This is our moment to pull
together as families, friends and neighbors. We’re all safer and
stronger when we go all in, Illinois.”
“This campaign connects the dots between daily actions we take to
keep ourselves safe and one the best things we can do to fight
COVID-19: wearing a mask,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. When
you get in a car, you buckle your seatbelt to protect yourself in
case you get into an accident. When you play football or ride your
bike, you put on a helmet to reduce your risk of seriously injuring
your head or brain. When you’re on the water, you put on a life
jacket so you don’t drown. And when you’re in the bedroom, you use a
condom to protect against STIs. A mask is no different. It only
works when you wear it.”
“Governor Pritzker, Dr. Ezike and I spend each and every day poring
over the numbers, making decisions to keep people safe and planning
for what’s ahead,” said IEMA Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau. “If we
continue on the track we’re on, we’ll need to look at bringing back
some restrictions that we’ve seen over the last few months. Nobody
wants that. We haven’t seen enough people wearing face coverings and
following the rule we put in place on May 1. If more people do their
part by wearing a mask in public, we can move forward, not backward.
Let’s go all in, Illinois.”
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Governor Pritzker introduced Illinois’ mask-wearing
requirement on May 1, the same day Illinois moved into Phase 2, and
called for a national mask mandate during testimony before the U.S.
House of Representatives on July 8.
Building on decades of public health campaigns that
have helped the public adopt safety precautions as daily practices,
the campaign reminds Illinoisans that wearing a mask is just like
wearing a seatbelt, a helmet or lifejacket, tools used every day to
prevent serious injury or even death. Research has found that
highlighting these commonsense comparisons is the most effective
messaging to change behavior and increase mask usage. Research also
demonstrates that wearing a face covering is one of the most
effective ways of decreasing the spread of the virus, and new
research indicates it could also provide important protection to the
wearer.
The $5 million campaign will reach residents statewide in both
English and Spanish through a variety of traditional and online
media channels, including broadcast, cable and connected TV;
streaming audio and radio; billboards; digital display and video;
and social media. Like other coronavirus-related expenses, costs are
reimbursable by the federal government.
To view or download the videos, audio and images,
CLICK HERE.
Driven by real-time data, the awareness effort will respond to the
latest trends in cases and mobility at the county level, following
the evolving on-the-ground conditions in communities across the
state. For example, if both cases and mobility are high in a county,
platforms in that county would receive the maximum amount of
funding, while counties with lower cases and mobility would receive
baseline funding. The funding model was built to ensure all counties
have ample coverage of this vital public health messaging.
‘It only works if you wear it’ was developed by Illinois-based ad
agency OKRP, directed by world-renowned photographer Sandro and
produced with SAG-AFTRA talent. The campaign is supported by
TimeZoneOne and Spurrier Group and guided by data insights from the
state’s COVID-19 modeling team and Civis Analytics.
[Office of the Governor JB Pritzker] |