PHC Partners in Statewide Initiative to Keep New Hampshire Healthy

#MaskUpNewHampshire Initiative Focuses on Reducing the Community Transmission of COVID-19

As part of a collaborative effort to limit the spread of COVID-19 across the state and keep our Upper Valley healthy, the Public Health Council is partnering with business and organizations statewide on a grassroots movement to encourage the use of face masks in public and work settings. The initiative, #MaskUpNewHampshire, aims to strengthen efforts led by the Common Man family and the Rotary Clubs of New Hampshire. These organizations are helping to raise awareness around the importance of wearing masks, and how doing so along with other measures like handwashing, practicing social distancing and staying home when we are sick, can reduce the community transmission of COVID-19.

While there is still much to learn about COVID-19 and its transmission, what is known is that wearing a mask is one of the most simple and effective things that can keep the virus from spreading.  It’s also a visible way to demonstrate concern and protection for others and an important way that everyone can help.

Keeping our Communities Thriving, Healthy, and Safe

“Public health professionals and Rotarians agree that keeping our communities thriving, healthy, and safe are goals where everyone can play a part. Wearing masks when you can’t physical distance is a simple and effective way to be of service to those around you. It protects them from unintended exposure to COVID-19. One of Rotary’s core principles is to always ask whether an action will be beneficial to all concerned. Seems to me when it comes to wearing a mask the answer is YES!,” says Rudy Fedrizzi, MD, Board Chair for the Public Health Council and member of the Rotary Club of Lebanon, NH.

In accordance with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Services, state and public health officials recommend cloth face coverings whenever in public in order to limit the spread of COVID-19. According to a recent study from global investment firm Goldman Sachs, mask-wearing by every American could save the U.S. economy from a 5% drop in GDP, or approximately $1 trillion in reduced economic spending.

This grassroots initiative aims to remind both residents and visitors that wearing a mask can make a significant difference in helping to reduce risk of exposure and stop the spread of COVID-19. By wearing a mask regularly when out in public or at work, both New Hampshire residents and visitors can help slow the spread and keep the Upper Valley healthy, safe and open.

For more information or to participate in the statewide initiative to keep New Hampshire healthy, please visit maskupnewhampshire.com or contact Alice Ely at alice.ely@uvpublichealth.org.