Society’s Attempt to Stop COVID

This decade marks the start of another huge pandemic, but unlike the past, we have so many records of each event. In the short 2 years we’ve lived with COVID, much of the world around us has adapted and changed to minimize COVID spread. Many signs, ads, and speeches from famous people were made to deter people from spreading the virus.

Our first example is a simple sign out in a public area near a shopping mall. The sign states, “Help stop the spread of COVID-19” with an image of a person wearing a disposable mask you’d see surgeons wear. Below it is another sentence that states, “Face masks required on the Ithaca Commons”. The sign is obviously telling everyone to wear a mask and that in order to enter the shopping mall that’s listed, you need a mask. The sign is also colored orange, likely to immediately grab your attention. It’d be pretty difficult to say you didn’t see the brightly colored sign that doesn’t match the color of any of its surroundings. The man wearing the mask may also demonstrate how to properly wear a mask, covering not just your mouth, but your nose too. At the very bottom of the sign at a small size is one more sentence that states, “Making downtown safe for all”. This demonstrates that the people who made the sign had the safety of the public in mind, specifically the public in the mall. However, it can be assumed they want everyone everywhere to wear a mask.

 

 

Another sign displays another message against COVID, spreading not only awareness, but also different methods to protect yourself. The sign on the left displays a large text that simply says, “Stop!” Under it is a message that asks if you are feeling any symptoms like: fever, cough, shortness of breath, and sneezing or runny nose then you are advised to not enter the building. This poster helps tell readers that should they be experiencing any of these symptoms, they may have COVID and need to stay away. Next to the symptoms is a note that tells readers to go to a specific location if they need assistance, likely to get help for them if they have COVID. The poster on the right displays how to prevent the spread of COVID, with a large text stating, “We can all slow the spread”, referring to slowing the spread of COVID. Below are different ways you can prevent COVID from spreading including: checking on the old and vulnerable, washing your hands, coughing or sneezing into your elbow, and staying home if you’re sick.
It’s clear both posters talk about COVID, but they state different things. The left poster talks about any symptoms that you would experience if you had COVID, and should you experience any of them, you are advised to stay away from the building. The right poster talks about how people can prevent COVID from spreading, giving different methods in doing so. Present in both posters, however, is a motto that states “Unite against COVID-19” in the bottom right of both posters. It can easily be seen as telling people to work together to stop COVID, but it could also be a reference to the United States of America, taking the “United” part into their motto. Lastly, should anyone need more information, there is a website that is listed on the poster as well: Covid19.govt.nz.

The last image has a much darker tone to COVID, putting up a darker reality than the previous ones discussed. In the image are 3 photos of different people, all wearing what looks like a ventilator, or a machine to help people who are struggling to breathe especially when they have COVID. They each have one line of text that says “Look him in the eyes” or “Look her in the eyes”, followed by another sentence at the bottom. The first image says, “Tell him you always keep a safe distance”. The second image says, “Tell her you never bend the rules”. The final image says “Tell him the risk isn’t real”. All three images list the first name of each person and say they’re a COVID patient, with a message below each stating, “ Stay Home > Protect the NHS > Save Lives”.

This image is likely set much later into the pandemic and aims to point out how careless the public has been when it comes to handling COVID, often asking the reader to tell these patients something they should be doing during the pandemic, but don’t actually do. The first image refers to how people rarely ever keep 6 feet apart from them, which is recommended to prevent the spread of COVID. The second image refers to people who try to ignore preventative measures like refusal to wear masks or vaccines. The last image refers to people who don’t even believe COVID is real or believe it’s like the common cold or flu. The poster depicts that the risks of COVID are indeed real, and the fact no one is taking it seriously is costing real lives. The fact all patients are also looking straight at the viewer is trying to pull emotion and guilt into the reader for allowing them to succumb to the virus because of the public’s carelessness.

The COVID pandemic has a massive group of ads, mostly to deter its spread and warn of its dangers. This essay only shows a handful of the ads during the 2 years of the pandemic, but much has changed during the 2 years, especially when comparing the tones between the first and second images to the third. Hopefully these images will last through the years and the future generation can look through them and understand COVID more than we did.