Bold COVID-19 holiday ad campaign asks: 'Is grandma’s pumpkin pie really to die for?'
Healthcare professionals across the country have been warning Americans for weeks about the risks associated with travel and family gatherings for Thanksgiving. But officials in Minnesota have determined that there’s no time left to be “Minnesota nice” as coronavirus infection rates spike. So they’ve resorted to a series of ad campaigns asking residents if their grandma’s pumpkin pie is really “to die for.”
The striking message is just one in a series called “COVID Isn’t Taking a Holiday.” The campaign, launched by a new FightCovidMN partnership made up of a number of Minnesota hospitals and healthcare systems, aims to illustrate just how overworked healthcare workers already are before heading into the most social season of the year.
“For eight months, our healthcare heroes have been caring for our communities,” Rahul Koranne, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Minnesota Hospital Association, says in a statement to Yahoo Life. “Our hospitals are full and we expect them to get fuller as the number of cases increase. Our healthcare heroes – the doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, lab workers, aides, environmental services personnel and more — are asking you to support them by wearing a mask, physically distancing, washing your hands and laying low. They are no longer the front line against COVID-19. They are the last line of defense — the last chance for an infected Minnesotan who needs hospitalization. The public is the front line.”
With nearly 2,000 Minnesotans currently hospitalized for the coronavirus and a rise expected after the upcoming holiday, FightCOVIDMN is already broadcasting the provocative Thanksgiving-themed messages on televisions statewide as well as across social media. Many of the ads beg people to think about the long-term impact of a singular holiday celebration.
Most importantly, each graphic reminds people that the necessary actions to take are as simple as wearing a mask and remaining socially distanced.
“We are extremely concerned about the trajectory of the community spread,” Koranne continues. “We urge Minnesotans to come together with grit and resolve in the next few weeks with a unified goal to reduce community transmission and protect our healthcare workers so they can remain at work and help save lives.”
For the latest coronavirus news and updates, follow along at https://news.yahoo.com/coronavirus. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please reference the CDC’s and WHO’s resource guides.
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