The Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (IHCC) joins Gov. J.B. Pritzker multimedia campaign to push the use of face masks to slow the spread of COVID-19.
The ad campaign carry the tagline “It only works if you wear it” and will focus on cities and counties in the state that have the most work to do.
The campaign will “respond to the latest trends in cases and mobility at the county level,” concentrating the spending on areas of the state where COVID-19 metrics indicate a potential resurgence.
For people who “are absolutely refusing” to wear a mask in public, “they’re putting other people at risk, so it’s worthy of considering a fine at a local level,” Pritzker said while introducing the ad campaign.
Despite the mask requirement taking effect in Illinois more than three months ago, some people have refused to wear masks in public places and enforcement has presented an issue.
The new mask campaign will be broadcast through social media, radio, television and billboards in both English and Spanish.
Amid a nationwide shortage of personal protective equipment and an urgent need for masks for medical workers, some officials discouraged the public from masking early on in the United States’ fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
In early April, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention triggered a shift when it began encouraging people to wear cloth face coverings when they leave their homes.
CDC mask guidance that was last updated July 16 recommends people wear masks in public settings and “when around people who don’t live in your household,” and says masks are “most likely to reduce the spread of COVID-19 when they are widely used by people in public settings.”
Last month, while testifying before the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security, Pritzker called for a national mask mandate, and said the statewide mask rule that took effect for most public spaces in Illinois on May 1 “aligns with our most significant downward shifts in our infection rate.”
