Newsom calls on Californians to use common sense
Governor also announces new public awareness campaign
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - Governor Gavin Newsom appealed to Californians to use common sense over the Fourth of July weekend by wearing a mask and skipping traditional holiday gatherings.
"We're not going into everybody's backyard and enforcing," Newsom said during his daily coronavirus briefing. "We're just encouraging people to be safe, to be thoughtful about themselves and others."
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday urged Californians to turn to their "better angels" and use common sense over the Fourth of July weekend by wearing a masks and skipping traditional gatherings with family and friends.
The stands at a critical juncture as it heads into the holiday weekend. Hospitalizations and infection rates are on the rise. Some businesses have again been closed in an attempt to limit big gatherings. Many cities and counties have closed beaches and cancelled fireworks shows.
Gov. Newsom also announced a new public awareness campaign, involving billboards, TV and radio ads in multiple languages, urging Californians to follow the state's mandate to wear a face covering.
One ad shows a person breathing on a ventilator with a mask that reads: "Even without symptoms, you can spread COVID-19. And people can die. People like your mom."
"If you think this hasn't or wont impact you because it hasn't impacted you, I hope to disabuse you of that." said Newsom.
The ads are starting in English and Spanish and will eventually run in seven languages. The campaign also includes social media ads. It will focus specifically on Black and Latino communities. Both are being disproportionately impacted by the virus.
Previous awareness campaigns by the state featured prominent celebrities such as Larry David and Julia Louis-Dreyfus urging people to stay home and practice social distancing.
The new campaign is funded in part by Silicon Valley groups and philanthropists, including Tom Steyer, a former Democratic presidential candidate and the head of Newsom's Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery.
