(Camden, NJ) – The Freeholder Board unveiled a new public health campaign today urging younger residents to “protect your circle.” The campaign comes as the average age of newly infected persons in Camden County has fallen to approximately 25 years old. The average age of newly infected persons on May 31 was older than 47 years old.
Ads for the campaign will begin displaying this afternoon on youth-focused platforms such as Snapchat and Spotify, as well as other social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter). The County webpage (camdencounty.com) has also been updated to include the new messaging.
“This is a critical stage of the pandemic, and we need to make it clear that everyone’s actions have consequences. Even if you’re just hanging out with your friends, you could be contributing to the spread of this disease,” said Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli, Jr. “This is a deceptive and sinister virus. It can be spread between people who never show any symptoms, who never look or act sick, but somewhere down the line it causes catastrophic illness to an innocent person. We need our teens and adolescents to be leaders here and help us protect our community.”
Since the initial wave of COVID-19 infections in the United States, young Americans have increasingly played a role in spreading the disease. In our region, residents between 16 and 25 years old represent the fastest growing segment of COVID-19 infections.
“Protect Your Circle” is a public health campaign aimed at making sure that teens and young adults know the symptoms of COVID-19, know how to stop the spread of coronavirus amongst their close contacts, and know why it is important that they avoid being infected. The campaign urges the use of face masks, social distancing, and getting tested as soon as you believe you could be carrying the disease.
You can view the campaign materials, including shareable flyers, digital banners, and images, by visiting here.