In an effort to distract everyone from the below average job they've done acquiring tests and supplies, reporting results, and communicating COVID-19 hot spots to the public, the Oklahoma Health Department launched a #ChalkOutCovidOK social media campaign that encourages people to write personal notes or words of encouragement about the pandemic in chalk on the driveway.
News 9 has the feel-good details:
Oklahomans are using art to lift spirits and encourage others to stop the spread of COVID-19. It all started when a state Department of Health employee went for a run.
“I was out running over the weekend…and I saw somebody had used chalk to say a very important message ‘wash your hands’ and I was so impressed by that, it's really nice to see,” said Kristin Davis.
A simple phrase "wash your hands" is so powerful during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Awesome. That's just what we need – another friendly reminder to wash your hands. We've only heard that about 1,000 times a day over the past month. Perhaps a better message would also be "Don't forget to apply lotion, too," which is something I've had to learn the red, scratchy, burning knuckles hard way.
Here's more:
It's not only saving lives in Oklahoma, It's given birth to a campaign that's bringing Oklahomans together through art with the hashtag "chalkoutcovidok" on social media.
“Our original tweet had almost 10,000 impressions. It is something creative and fun, but it is also getting serious messages out,” Davis said. “Two girls, probably siblings, they are actually writing a message that says stay home and it was really cute. It looks like they are on their driveway.”
Besides driving home helpful tips -- the art campaign is also proving to be good for mental health.
“I see the message as connecting, being able to connect online and through this campaign, people can connect with each other,” Davis said. “I think that brings people hope.”
Yes, nothing brings hope and helps with mental health like defacing a sidewalk. Why can't they just be honest and say something like...
"This will keep your kid busy for like 20-minutes. Enjoy it."
That being said, I'm not going to be totally cynical about this program because it has brought some joy to people's hearts. Check this out:
So @NEWS9 was reporting about #ChalkOutCovidOK aaaaaand how did they miss THIS? 😂😂😂 #EatFarts @TheLostOgle pic.twitter.com/C6Sdz2ikz2
— Marissa (@MarissaIsAllEn) April 2, 2020
https://twitter.com/dennisquitman/status/1245558418053758977
@NEWS9 Did you know? #ChalkOutCovidOK pic.twitter.com/2sm99iWZFA
— Buddhasatfishin (@Buddhasatfishin) April 2, 2020
Yep, Eat Farts. That's funny. Although to be fair, I'm not sure if they're referring to the virus, or the Oklahoma government's response to it. Maybe both.
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