New government public service announcements will use conversations between public health experts and actors, musicians and athletes to educate people about Covid-19.
Michael Caputo, assistant secretary for public affairs at the US Department of Health and Human Services, wouldn’t release the names of the celebrities who will be featured in the new PSAs.
He said there will be several government health experts involved, including Dr. Anthony Fauci and US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams.
Messages will be tailored to specific cities and communities. Here’s how Caputo described the ads:
“Maybe a football player in Houston will sit down and talk about Houston’s problems with Dr. Fauci … Or the surgeon general will be sitting on the Capitol Hill steps. We’ll have two cameras, one on him and one over his shoulder. He’ll be eating a sandwich. His iPad rings. He puts the sandwich down and he picks it up. And that rapper or football player or celebrity or rock and roll star or whoever it is will have two cameras on them in Atlanta, and they’ll ask Dr. Adams questions about Covid-19.”
The conversations will be 45 minutes to an hour long, and they will not be scripted. Several minute-long PSAs will be cut from each conversation and will be placed on radio, TV, online platforms and digital billboards.
“They will be conversations between trusted figures and trusted scientists,” Caputo said.
The topics will be varied and include prevention measures such as wearing masks, washing hands and social distancing.
The other public health experts featured in the PSAs will be…
- Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Dr. Stephen Hahn, commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration
- Alex Azar, secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services
- Seema Verma, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
- Rear Admiral Dr. Erica Schwartz, deputy surgeon general
- Rear Admiral Michael Weahkee, director of the Indian Health Service
“There will be no politicians. Zero politicians,” Caputo said.
