Flinn Foundation Advocates to #MaskUpAZ

The number of coronavirus cases in Arizona continues to climb, with more than 43,000 reported cases and over 1,200 coronavirus-related deaths to date. In an effort to help flatten the curve, the Flinn Foundation created the #MaskUpAZ campaign.

“There’s an overwhelming scientific consensus: Wearing masks reduces coronavirus transmission. The best chance we have to control the crisis in Arizona without completely shutting down our economy again is widespread adoption of mask-wearing,” said Matt Ellsworth, VP of communications at Flinn Foundation. “In the absence of a mandate and not yet seeing a strong state-level push, we recognized that we had to do our part.”

The #MaskUpAZ campaign is broad-based. Flinn Foundation conducted initial conversations with leaders from the health-care sector who saw up-close how devastating COVID-19 is. Then partners emerged from throughout the business community, local governments, nonprofits and beyond — all building awareness to keep Arizona’s people and economy healthy.

At the core of the campaign are two truths: One, we don’t have to be at the mercy of the virus. And two, we are all in this together. With commitment to the best scientific guidance and commitment to our fellow Arizonans, we can overcome the greatest public-health crisis of our lives.

As part of the campaign, Flinn Foundation has developed free resources such as social-media posts, statistics and graphics in English and Spanish. “The #MaskUpAZ campaign doesn’t belong to the Flinn Foundation. It belongs to all of us. The resources we’ve developed are available for anyone to use, and we hope everyone will,” Ellsworth said.