BY ADEYEMI ROBINSON-ADEFIOYE,LAGOS
The Lagos State Government has urged residents to support the State in curbing the spread of Coronavirus by wearing face masks in public. This declaration was made by the Executive Assistant to the Governor on New Media and Public Relations, MR. OLUSEGUN FAFORE, at the launch of the #takeresponsibility campaign, urging Lagosians to wear ‘Face Mask’ in the public to protect themselves and others from being infected with the deadly coronavirus.
In this new campaign, residents are expected to show their ‘Mask up Lagos Face’ by clicking a link shared on Instagram and Facebook. The link will automatically take participants to the camera section of their phones or devices, where their pictures are taken and faces are covered with branded Lagos State face mask.
The picture is shared on Instagram or Facebook stories for their online associates to view and participate. The pictures taken symbolize their commitment to the responsibility call by Mr. Governor, asking everyone to live and act responsibly.
Already, some of the nation’s leading social media influencers and celebrities have joined the campaign, lending their voices and platforms to propagation of the #takeresponsibility message because of their belief in its significance to our wellbeing.
Some of the influencers and celebrities on this campaign include Helen Paul, Uti Nwanchukwu, Adunni Ade, Melvin Odua, Mawuli Gavour, Kunle Remi, Anthony Majaro, Charles Inojie, Oluwatobi Essien, Monica Friday, Adejumoke Aderounmu, Ayo Bankole, Bayesegun Oluwatoyin (Woli Arole) and Osundare Damilare (Asiri Comedy).
We would recall that at a media briefing, GOVERNOR BABAJIDE SANWO-OLU had said that “the primary reason for wearing facemask is to ensure that the droplets one secretes are not released into the environment, but rather absorbed by the facemask. Complying with this directive will imply that we care about the wellbeing of others and are determined to protect them from getting infected by whatever may be within us”.
“It is not everyone who has the COVID-19 virus that shows symptoms or falls sick. But secretion by them such as coughing, sneezing and others are certain ways of passing the virus to others, if not guarded by facemasks”, added the Governor.
With this in perspective, the #takeresponsibility campaign is a plea to Lagosians to comply with the Governor’s directive, requesting that we show care in the wellbeing of others and protect them from getting infected with whatever may be with us by wearing our facemasks in the public.
“If everyone in the community wears a facemask, we will be fulfilling our duty of responsibility, which insulates others from secretion that can infect them, or put other citizens at risk through environmental contamination arising from the secretion”, said FAFORE, explaining how residents are expected to take responsibility in the State’s impressive fight against COVID-19.
“Face masks, combined with other preventive measures, such as frequent hand-washing, consciousness about eyes, nose and ears touching as well as social distancing, are effective in mitigating respiratory infections”, he stressed.
Over the past two months, the state government has produced and distributed more than three million facemasks to the citizenry. The effort heralded GOVERNOR SANWO-OLU’S announcement that wearing Face Mask at public gatherings has become mandatory in the State.
The Governor’s directive was subsequently promoted as ‘Mask-Up’ Lagos, with advice to Lagosians that the use of stylish and trendy local cotton materials will conserve the use of sophisticated masks, such as the N95 and surgical face masks used by medical personnel. Similarly, a prototype design for facemasks was posted on our social media platforms for your personal tailoring.
