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Kansas to launch pro-mask campaign but faces skepticism

Face Mask
Posted at 10:10 PM, Nov 21, 2020
and last updated 2020-11-21 23:10:13-05

TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas is preparing to launch a media campaign aimed at getting more of its residents to wear masks so that the coronavirus doesn’t keep spreading rapidly.

Some officials are skeptical that it will move the needle much.

A mask mandate from Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly is set to take effect Wednesday, but Kansas law allows the state’s 105 counties to opt out.

The state has set aside $1.5 million for television, radio, print and social media ads promoting masks that are set to start before Thanksgiving.

But some officials worry that politics are driving resistance to masks and others suggest that people already are bombarded with pro-mask messages.