What type of face covering wearer are you?

From patterned and funny face coverings to just simply plain and practical, residents have adapted to wearing face coverings over the past few months.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has now launched the ‘What type of wearer are you?’ campaign to further highlight the need for residents to wear a face covering on public transport and in shops and supermarkets.

The council will be inviting residents to share their selfies wearing their favourite face coverings using the hashtag #LetskickcoronavirusoutofStokeonTrent and will be posting selfies of local, influential figures wearing face coverings across social media platforms.

The council have teamed up with design business- Megan Rose Design, who specialise in Stoke-on-Trent themed designs to create a limited edition ‘Cost kick coronavirus out of Stoke-on-Trent’ Stokie themed face covering that will be available for residents to purchase.  Residents can also win one of 10 limited edition ‘Cost kick coronavirus out of Stoke-on-Trent’ face coverings by sharing their selfies online.

The phrase is based on Potteries dialect, and the phrase ‘Cost kick a bo agen a wo an yed it til it bosts?’ which means ‘Can you kick a ball against a wall and head it until it bursts?’

The limited edition ‘Cost kick coronavirus out of Stoke-on-Trent’ face coverings are available to purchase at www.meganrosedesign.co.uk

Councillor Abi Brown, leader of the city council, said: “It is vitally important we all follow government guidance and do everything we can to stop the spread of the virus in Stoke-on-Trent. Wearing a face covering is just one of the ways we can do this and we want to remind the people of Stoke-on-Trent to wear theirs when out and about across the city. Who says your face covering has to be bland and boring? Now you can stand out from the crowd with your very own limited edition face covering designed by Megan Rose Design. Show your pride for your city and support a local business. Are you rocking a homemade face covering or have your splurged on a branded one? Share your selfies with us on social media to help us spread the message that wearing a face covering is important.”

Designer Megan Poxon, owner of Megan Rose said: “It has been fantastic to be involved in this local campaign and design the ‘Cost kick coronavirus out of Stoke-on-Trent’ face coverings. We all know during these times we should be wearing a face covering and be following government guidance; however that doesn’t mean face coverings can’t be fun. I started making and selling face coverings at the start of lockdown after seeing a gap in the market for ‘Stokie’ style designs and so far we have sold over 1000 and created 10 different designs. I can’t wait to see everybody’s face covering selfies and will be wearing my ‘Cost kick coronavirus out of Stoke-on-Trent’ face covering with pride.”

A face covering is a covering of any type which covers your nose and mouth. It is now law that you must wear a face covering when travelling in England on public transport and in some other public places such as supermarkets and shops, unless you have a face covering exemption because of your age or health, or if you have a legitimate reason not to. If you do not wear a face covering in these settings you will be breaking the law and could be fined £100 or £50 if you pay the fine within 14 days.

It is now also compulsory for retail, leisure and hospitality staff to wear a face covering in areas that are open to the public and where they come or are likely to come within close contact of a member of the public. This includes shops, supermarkets, bars, pubs, restaurants, cafes, banks, estate agents, post offices and the public areas of hotels and hostels.

Paul Edmondson-Jones, Director of Adult Social Care, Health Integration and Wellbeing said: “I cannot stress enough the need for us all to wear face coverings, wearing a face covering not only protects ourselves but also others around us from the virus. National guidance should be being followed. I also will be wearing my Megan Rose ‘’Cost kick coronavirus out of Stoke-on-Trent’ face covering with pride and would like to thank Megan for working us to help spread the message across the city.”

Residents can enter the social media competition by tagging the city council in their face covering selfies on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and by using the hashtag #LetskickcoronavirusoutofStokeonTrent. The competition will run from Thursday, September 24 to Thursday, October 22. The winners will be picked at random and announced on Friday, October 23.

Face coverings are not a substitute for maintaining social distancing and good hand hygiene. All residents are reminded about the critical importance of regular handwashing with soap and hot water for 20 seconds. The significance of this action cannot be underestimated. If residents have symptoms, please get tested. All residents must continue to follow the guidance of wash hands, cover face and make space.

For more information and advice on the coronavirus (Covid-19) please visit Public Health England: https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2020/01/23/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-what-you-need-to-know/ and the NHS: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/.