The Baker-Polito Administration launched a new public awareness effort to encourage residents to continue to stay safe and remain vigilant.
The statewide campaign “Get Back Mass” highlights the critical steps everyone should take – wearing a mask and practicing good hygiene, keeping a safe distance, and getting tested – to protect themselves and their loved ones.
The multilingual campaign will run on several platforms including television and digital ads.
The campaign features residents from across the Commonwealth who, in their own words, draw the connection between taking precautions so that they can “get back” to the activities, people, and experiences they enjoy – like attending live sporting events or concerts, throwing their child a birthday party, going out dancing with friends, or going on a “real” date.
The campaign underscores the importance of taking precautions like wearing a mask so the Commonwealth can slow the spread of the virus and keep our communities safe while COVID-19 remains with us.
The Get Back Mass campaign launched with social media messages that highlight safety tips, digital animated videos in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Chinese (simplified and traditional) and Vietnamese, and information posters that will be displayed in convenience stores.
Television advertisements in English and Spanish will run on broadcast and digital channels, continuing through February. All campaign components lead to a landing page, mass.gov/GetBack, which highlights the three key behaviors it takes to #GetBackMass:
The Administration also announced the awarding of $650,000 in grant funding to community-based and faith-based organizations to help prevent and reduce the spread of COVID-19 among communities of color in the cities and towns hardest hit by COVID.
Twenty organizations are receiving grant awards ranging from $10,000 to $50,000. Each receiving organization demonstrated deep engagement with their communities and understanding their needs, and a readiness to quickly implement their proposed projects.
Awardees will engage in culturally appropriate community outreach, communication, and education, in the languages spoken in the communities they serve.
Strategies include engaging youth peer leaders, trusted community leaders, and those with shared lived experience to increase the understanding of the impact of COVID 19 in their community.
Another announcement from the administration included the expansion of the Abbott BinaxNOW testing program to include Massachusetts Long Term Care facilities.
Under the program, Abbott BinaxNOW test kits can be used in Long Term Care facilities for the purpose of testing individuals entering the facility who are not regularly reporting staff.
Those who test negative may be allowed to enter the facility, provided that they meet the screening criteria (e.g. are not exhibiting any COVID-19 like symptoms) and comply with other in-person visitation requirements such as wearing a mask and distancing.
