Washington State Governor Jay Inslee and Restart Partners Announce "Wear A Mask Washington" Initiative, Ask Public to Submit Video PSAs

SEATTLE, June 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Restart Partners, a nonprofit organization fostering collaboration among state and government leaders around the issue of personal protection equipment (PPE), working with behavioral experts to encourage wearing masks, and providing an open-source PPE projection data model to help leaders restart economies impacted by COVID-19, today announced with Gov. Jay Inslee the "Wear A Mask Washington" Initiative promoting the wearing of protective masks with details to be found on restart.us/WearAMaskWA.

"We are still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, and wearing a mask is one of the easiest, most effective things we can all do to prevent the spread of this virus," said Gov. Inslee. "Help us share that message through our 'Wear A Mask Washington' initiative. I know Washingtonians are creative so put that to good use by sending us a video answering the question 'why do you wear a mask?' We are working with Restart Partners on this project as they understand how important it is to stay vigilant as we restart Washington State's economy and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic."

According to the United Nations, the COVID-19 pandemic is the defining global health crisis of the century and the greatest challenge that the world has faced since World War II. Since its emergence in Asia late last year, the virus has spread to every continent except Antarctica. Cases are rising daily in Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Europe. In Washington, there continue to be cases of COVID-19 illness which could have been prevented by the simple act of wearing a mask.

"One of the most important issues facing us now that states are restarting their local economies and people are gathering together to march peacefully against systemic racial injustice, is helping the public continue to embrace wearing masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19. No one is safe until everyone is safe," said Dr. Sandra O. Archibald, Co-Executive Director of Restart Partners, current fellow at the Volcker Alliance, and former Dean of the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Washington. "Wearing a mask is not typically something that many of us are used to doing. We're working with some of the best minds in the state and across the country to develop strategies for supporting healthy behaviors around this issue. Our goal is for our #WearAMaskWA initiative to be a catalyst for change in Washington and beyond. I am proud to collaborate with my colleagues from the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance and Department of Communication."

The Restart Partners team has also launched an effort to raise funds to donate 100,000 masks to communities and organizations in need. Organizations are invited to join the Restart Community, hosted on the restart.us website, where members can share their PPE needs and best practices, find trusted suppliers of protective masks, and access campaign-in-a-box information promoting the wearing of masks to help people in communities everywhere stay safe and healthy.

The nonprofit organization is also focused on fostering collaboration among state and local government leaders around the issue of PPE. Restart Partners has developed the free, open-source Restart Model in collaboration with a talented team of academic, technologist, data scientist, and government leaders. The goal is to help state and local government officials and community leaders in Washington and other states plan for current and future PPE needs and any potential resurgence of COVID-19.  This dynamic model has been developed with input from several other groups, such as the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and the World Health Organization, as well as being validated by demographic data, epidemiological data, PPE estimates by cities, counties and states, and industry sectors,  which are being constantly updated.

"Our goal is to empower communities to save lives and livelihoods during these unprecedented times," said Richard Tong, Co-Executive Director of Restart Partners, a social investor and a former Microsoft executive. "Appropriate levels of PPE supply in all communities is the key to protecting the public's health and preventing the spread of the COVID-19 virus. That's why having accurate data is so critical and where our data model comes into play. Our team is currently in conversations with public, private and non-profit leaders across the world and we're hopeful that they will also begin using our free data model to restart during this difficult period."

Several partners and supporters have joined the Restart Community including the State of Washington, State of Utah, Chief Seattle Club, Corona Care Zone, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, MABA Care, Mary's Place, McKenzie Worldwide, Rowan Technology Enabled, Seattle Sounders FC, smartAID, Wilson Sonsini, and many other organizations. All of these organizations are connected by shared beliefs that every institution should work together and share best practices and that a swift containment of the COVID-19 pandemic will increase trust and public confidence to save lives and livelihoods.  

For more information about the #WearAMaskWA initiative and how you can submit your video, visit restart.us/WearAMaskWA.

About Us
Restart Partners, formed in May 2020, is a nonprofit organization focused on empowering all communities to save lives and livelihoods during these unprecedented times. This global initiative provides science-based, data-driven resources to assist governments, nonprofits, businesses, and communities plan, purchase, and distribute PPE, working together with behavioral experts to change social norms about wearing masks and getting masks to vulnerable populations everywhere.

SOURCE Restart Partners