The Red River Valley COVID-19 Task Force (RRVCTF) has launched a robust multimedia masking campaign to encourage, educate and promote understanding of the reasons that masks are crucial in the mitigation of the COVID-19 virus. The RRVCTF campaign runs in tandem with the #MaskUpND statewide efforts and will be featured across numerous platforms and channels over the next several months. At the campaign kickoff, RRVCTF Co-Chair Dr. Tim Mahoney stated “Masks are not a political statement. There is nothing radical about the facts surrounding masks. They work. Period. We need our residents to wear them – for all of us.”
The central pillar of the campaign is the ForAllofUs.com website, which features testimonials of local people including residents, parents, educators, students, college athletes, musicians and others explaining why they choose to wear facemasks. The website also contains helpful information for everyday mask usage, objective information sorting fact from fiction and opportunities for residents and businesses to actively participate and promote the message through free window clings.
This campaign effectively unites many different entities, including The City of Fargo, Fargo Cass Public Health, City of West Fargo, Cass County, North Dakota State University, the University of North Dakota, Fargo Public Schools, West Fargo Public Schools, Essentia Health, Sanford Health, the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation and the Red River Zoo.
“As we’ve learned throughout this pandemic with the growing body of evidence, masks play a critical role in slowing the spread of COVID-19. Wearing a mask protects those around you by decreasing the amount of respiratory droplets transmitted in the air, which limits potential exposure to others. Research is also beginning to identify protective benefits to the mask wearer as well. Consistently wearing your mask in public and when you can’t socially distance from others is a simple and easy thing to do and the impact is significant. Wearing your mask, along with the other public health prevention measures, will ultimately help protect you, your family and our entire community.” said RRVCTF Co-Chair Desi Fleming.
Resources and media including impactful locally-produced videos, photos and window clings can be found at ForAllofUs.com. Website content will be updated frequently and cross promoted across social media channels during the duration of the campaign.