NY asks for your vote on favorite ad urging people to wear masks

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 May 2020 at 3:07 pm

New York wants the public’s help in picking the winning ad that promotes wearing a mask when people are out in the community.

There were about 600 submissions for the ad contest, which has been narrowed to five finalists. Click here to see the finalists and to vote for one.

The state put out a call for ads that communicate why it is so important to wear a mask to stop the spread of coronavirus.

The winning ad will be used as a public service announcement. Voting closes May 25 with the winners to be announced May 26.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s daughter, Mariah Kennedy Cuomo, headed up the contest.

“We are so grateful to all the New Yorkers who have submitted one of the over 600 submissions,” she said.

Her father, the governor, said masks have proven to be effective in slowing the spread of the virus. He noted that frontline workers in hospitals, public transportation, EMS, law enforcement and corrections all have a lower rate of infection than the general public.

“How do nurses and doctors have a lower infection rate than the general population? How do transit workers who are on the buses and subways all day long have a lower infection rate than the general population? How does the NYPD, police officers who show up who are dealing with people all day long, how do they have a lower infection rate? How does the NYPD have almost half the infection rate of New York City? How can it be? They are the police officers,” Cuomo said.

“They are wearing the mask. The mask works. Those surgical masks work and it’s in the data. It’s not that I’m saying it. It’s in the data and it is otherwise inexplicable.”

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