Video and audio spots to help prevent spread of coronavirus are free for all to use; themes are prepare, protect and disinfect
Prepare, protect, and disinfect are the themes of new public-service announcements aimed at preventing the spread in Kentucky of covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. This one combines all three:
The 30-second PSAs from the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky and the Kentucky Medical Association, are available free of charge, and focus on three measures: PREPARE: Prepare to stay at home as much as possible by purchasing only the essentials we need for a week at a time; PROTECT: Protect others from the virus by keeping at least six feet of distance between ourselves and others outside our homes; and DISINFECT: Use disinfectant often on the things we touch regularly, such as door knobs, cell phones, keyboards and counters.
Foundation President and CEO Ben Chandler urged Kentuckians to follow advice of public-health experts and stay home: “Covid-19 poses a serious health risk, and one of the greatest threats is overwhelming our health care system if too many people get sick at the same time. We can prevent many, many deaths if we just take the steps to prevent the spread, or ‘flatten the curve.’ That means everyone needs to stay home as much as they possibly can.”
Dr. Brent Wright, KMA president and chair of the foundation’s board of directors, encouraged Kentuckians who have symptoms to call their health care provider first, before coming in, to minimize the spread of the virus: “While your individual risk of serious complication from covid-19 may be low, you could contract the disease without knowing it and contribute to the spread to individuals who are advanced in age or have a chronic disease.”
After a University of Kentucky public-health professor and a UK surgery professor said over the weekend that PSAs were needed, Gov. Andy Beshear encouraged broadcasters Monday to create them to get social-distancing and covid-19 prevention messaging out to their local communities, saying it is important for communities to hear the guidance from local leaders, not just him. “Do this and do it quickly,” he urged at his March 23 news conference. “The more messages we can get out there the better.”
The three PSA spots are titled “Stay Home,” “Mental Health” and “Call First.” Click here to download the videos from the foundation’s website. The audio spots are here. Up-to-date, reliable information can be found on the state’s regularly updated website, kycovid19.ky.gov. The state’s covid-19 hotline is 1-800-722-5725.