BOSTON (WWLP) – Monday, state leaders launched a new public awareness campaign as the state battles a second surge of COVID-19.
The Get Back Mass campaign was launched to reinforce many of the state’s public health measures so that we can all get back to doing what we love. The campaign features stories of people who can’t wait to get back to things like seeing friends, going on dates, and even learning in person.
The Get Back Mass Campaign will be broadcasted in several languages and will run through February on T.V. stations and on social media.
“This campaign makes clear that we can in fact get back to the things we want to do if we wear face coverings, keep our distance, and get tested,” said Gov. Charlie Baker.
The campaign was launched before Thanksgiving to remind residents that the virus doesn’t take the holidays off.
So, if you do plan to get together with more than just your immediate family, wear a mask indoors and outdoors, limit your time around others, and get tested whenever possible.
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:
- Wear a mask. Wear a mask or face covering in public to slow the spread of COVID-19. Learn about how and when to wear one.
- Keep your distance. No matter what, six feet or more is best. Learn about ways to lower your risk when you are around others.
- Get tested. Find out when and where to get a COVID-19 test.
INFORMATION FROM MASS.GOV
The Get Back Mass campaign is the latest in a series of public awareness efforts the Commonwealth has taken to curb the spread of COVID-19, including the September launch of mass.gov/stopCOVID19 following the Administration’s establishment of the COVID-19 Enforcement and Intervention Team (CEIT), awareness for the “Stop the Spread” testing initiative, and #MaskUpMA, a continuous campaign that reminds residents to wear face coverings to stop COVID-19 spread.
The Baker-Polito Administration also made other announcements related to efforts to battle COVID-19:
COVID-19 Community Grants: Today the Administration 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. The COVID-19 Community Grant Program was previously announced by the Administration in September and supports non-profit, community-based and faith-based organizations in raising awareness of COVID best practices in marginalized communities across the commonwealth. 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. A full list of awardees is available below.
Abbot BinaxNOW Testing Program for Long-Term Care Facilities: Today the Administration also announced the expansion of the Abbott BinaxNOW testing program to include Massachusetts Long Term Care facilities. This expansion builds on last week’s announcement of this program for K-12 schools. 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.
Thursday’s COVID-19 Dashboards: The Department of Public Health’s Daily and Weekly COVID-19 Dashboards will not be published on Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 26. The Weekly Dashboard will be published on Wednesday, November 25, except for the city and town breakdown, which will be posted on Friday, November 27. Friday’s Daily Dashboard will include two days (11/26 and 11/27) of COVID-19 data.
COVID-19 Community Grant Awardees:
| Organization Name, Location | Impacted Cities/Towns | Funding Amount |
| African Community Education Program, Worcester | Worcester | $21,400 |
| Association of Islamic Charitable Projects, Revere | Revere | $10,000 |
| Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association of Greater Lowell, Lowell | Lowell | $50,000 |
| Chelsea Collaborative/La Colaborativa, Chelsea | Chelsea | $50,000 |
| Chica Project, Boston | Boston, Lawrence, Lynn | $28,869 |
| Everett Haitian Community Center, Everett | Everett, Boston, Chelsea, Lynn, Malden, Revere | $40,000 |
| Greater Lawrence Community Action Council, Lawrence | Lawrence, Methuen | $49,900 |
| GreenRoots, Chelsea | Chelsea | $49,840 |
| LEO, Inc., Lynn | Lynn | $31,200 |
| Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers, Cambridge | Cambridge, Boston, Everett, Framingham, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, Methuen, Revere | $27,792 |
| MissionSafe, Boston | Roxbury | $20,000 |
| New American Association of Massachusetts, Lynn | Lynn, Lowell, Malden, Methuen, Revere, Salem | $12,498 |
| New North Citizens Council, Springfield | Springfield | $50,000 |
| One Holyoke CDC, Holyoke | Holyoke | $30,000 |
| Pinnacle Partnerships Corp, Brockton | Brockton | $50,000 |
| Somali Parents Advocacy Center for Education (SPACE), Everett | Everett, Boston | $15,000 |
| The Boston Project Ministries, Boston | Dorchester, Mattapan | $11,000 |
| The Center for Hope and Healing, Lowell | Lowell | $15,000 |
| Who’s Got Morale, Boston | Roxbury, Mattapan, Dorchester | $42,500 |
| Worcester Interfaith, Worcester | Worcester | $45,000 |
| Total: $650,000 |
