Young residents of Sayreville and East Brunswick are participating in social awareness campaigns to inform viewers why they’re staying indoors and encouraging social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.
Entitled #istayhomeforsayreville in Sayreville and #istayhomeforeastbrunswick in East Brunswick, young residents are asked to record videos explaining why they are remaining at home amid the pandemic of COVID-19. The footage is then complied into a public service announcement (PSA) depicting each participant and their reason for supporting social distancing while the pandemic is ongoing.
The campaign began in Sayreville when the #istayhomeforsayreville PSA was uploaded online on March 24, where young residents gave reasons such as sports, their friends, family, having a summer break, making videos with the TikTok app, and being able to eventually return to their normal lives for staying at home. During the PSA, Sayreville Mayor Victoria Kilpatrick challenged neighboring municipalities to also participate in the campaign.
“[Our kids] are staying at home to help fight the spread of COVID-19 through our community and you can do the same thing,” Kilpatrick said. “By joining on to our campaign #istayhomeforsayreville, you can make a difference and help spread the word. We know that the majority of people impacted by COVID-19 are actually affected by people who showed no symptoms at all. So the best thing you can do is stay at home, but it’s not enough to just do that here. We need to challenge our neighboring communities.”
Among the municipalities mentioned by Kilpatrick was East Brunswick, leading to East Brunswick Mayor Brad Cohen asking township residents to take part in the campaign. The township’s PSA was uploaded online on March 27.
“Mayor Kilpatrick and I are good friends and when she told me about the challenge, I said game on,” Cohen said. “This is a great thing for the kids. People need to stay home and the videos remind them that there’s a reason they need to do it. We all need to be doing this together, especially when this is not an old person’s disease.
“For the kids, it’s great way of thinking of why they’re doing what they’re doing and realizing what they take for granted,” he continued. “We need to stay safe. This is only going to work if everybody plays their part. It’s a sacrifice, but this country has sacrificed more.”
The Sayreville PSA can be viewed online at www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIyc5O5ZwK4
The East Brunswick PSA can be viewed online at www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoLYF_S10Wc
