The Campaign Includes a TikTok Video Challenge Promoting Mask-Wearing
Barnstable, MA. (July 30, 2020) — The Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment is exploring new ways to convey to young locals and visitors the importance of wearing masks during the pandemic and launched the #ShowUpWithAMask campaign today.
So far, the campaign includes a one-minute Public Service Announcement featuring several youths promoting mask-wearing, most of whom are residents on Cape Cod between the ages of 15 and 25. The video is posted on all County social media platforms and websites as of today. The campaign also includes a TikTok Challenge that calls for youth to create videos based on the #ShowUpWithAMask concept that can be viewed on the County's new TikTok page www.tiktok.com/@barnstablecounty.
Barnstable County Communications Manager Sonja Sheasley said, "We know we are taking a risk because TikTok is completely different than how local governments normally do social media, which is via Facebook and Twitter. However, we see TikTok as an entertainment app with the potential to engage creative, young locals and visitors in sharing this essential message in a fun way, and at the height of our summer season. We are hoping to see some videos promoting mask-wearing far more creative than we have come up with."
The instructions posted on the Barnstable County Health and Environment website are:
Accept our TikTok #ShowUpWithAMask Challenge. Go to www.tiktok.com/@barnstablecounty to see what we've posted. Upload your original video to your TikTok account that promotes mask-wearing. Use fun transitions and music expressing the concept of "showing up with a mask," and don't forget to use the hashtags #ShowUpWithAMask and #CapeCod so we can share it!
Barnstable County Youth Are Invited to Request A Free Mask While Supplies Last
To further drive the message on the importance of wearing a mask, Barnstable County is also offering a free mask to Barnstable County youth in the age range of 15-25. These residents are prompted to fill out a short form, and a surgical mask will be mailed to them with a thank you letter from the County within 5-7 days.
Deputy Director of the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment, Erika Woods, says, "As part of this campaign to reach a younger demographic and to remind them of this community responsibility, we are happy to send young residents a free mask. It may not be much, but we want to offer what we can."
To receive a free mask from the County, you must be between 15 and 25. The County has set aside a certain number of surgical masks for youth requests and will send them out while those supplies last, up to three per household.
About the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment
Established under a Special Act of the Legislature in 1926, the Barnstable County Department of Health & Environment (BCDHE) provides regional public health and environmental health services throughout the 15 towns comprising Barnstable County. The Department manages several environmental, public health, and homeland security grants funded through state and federal resources. The Department's primary mission is to protect public health and the environment and promote the physical and mental health and well-being of the residents of Barnstable County.
For media inquiries:
Contact: Sonja Sheasley, Communications Manager
Sonja.Sheasley@barnstablecounty.org
Cape Cod Reopening Task Force Unveils ReopeningCapeCod.org
Website to Provide Information to Public as Summer Season Begins
Cape Cod – The Cape Cod Reopening Task Force unveiled a new website this week:www.ReopeningCapeCod.org.The site serves as a one-stop location for residents, businesses, employees, municipalities, and visitors to the region.
The website contains updates on health data relevant to Barnstable County, industry specific guidance from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and information from 19 local industry-specific sub-working groups. Safe workplace standards, operating guidance, relief resources, and educational materials are available for business owners, employees, and municipal managers as they adjust their workplaces to mitigate the risk of viral transmission. Expectations for visitors and seasonal residents developed by task force members and local health leaders are also hosted on the website.
“ReopeningCapeCod.org will help ensure that access to accurate information is consistently shared with everyone in the region,” said State Senator Julian Cyr (D-Truro), Member and Public Information Officer for the Cape Cod Reopening Task Force. “For this summer to be safe for Cape Codders, everyone – whether it be year-round residents or visitors who may not be as familiar with our municipal boundaries and authorities – needs to take responsibility for themselves and their families by abiding by the guidance from state and local officials.”
The Task Force will also provide public situational reports to keep Cape Cod residents and visitors informed of its activities. These reports will include the latest public health data points and guidance from the state government, as well as updates on the Task Force’s activities and detailed near-term objectives. The Task Force publishes these situational reports twice weekly.
“The public deserves to have access to the Task Force’s work and confidence that the process of crafting regional reopening guidance has been as collaborative and inclusive as possible,” said State Representative Sarah Peake (D-Provincetown), Member of the Task Force.
The Cape Cod Reopening Task Force is accepting comments from the public as it conducts its work. It has recorded over four hundred public comments from seasonal and year-round residents of the region to date. These are reviewed and presented to the membership at regular intervals. www.ReopeningCapeCod.org features an additional portal for the public to submit.
www.ReopeningCapeCod.orgwill be updated regularly in the coming months as the Cape Cod Reopening Task Force convenes and as statewide guidance from the Baker-Polito administration is disseminated.
