City targets twenty-somethings in COVID-19 campaign

French bulldogs. Coffee cups. Basket-clad bicycles.

That's not the would-be receipt of some trendy millennial hipster, but the imagery behind a new Hamilton public health campaign targeting young people and physical-distancing rules amid COVID-19.

The campaign, dubbed Physically Distance Hamilton Style, hopes to bridge an apparent communication gap between the city's health unit and twenty-somethings, a demographic that has experienced a recent spike in local novel coronavirus cases.

People aged 30 or younger have accounted for 63 per cent of Hamilton's novel coronavirus cases over the last 10 days. Since June 5, the total number of people aged 20 to 29 infected with the virus has increased by 19 per cent, from 137 to 163.

According to a public health news release, hot spots in cases have been among people living together such as families or young adults with roommates, as well as those who work together.

The release said the recent uptick in cases is likely a product of young people not following distancing rules and other preventive measures like hand hygiene and gathering limits.

There could also be other reasons, such as lack of effectively communicating in a way that resonated with the group ... (T)he perception of the virus not being a serious threat (and) uncertainty of how to balance physical distancing with social norms."

Public health said the campaign will take a visual style" approach and use social media platforms, local workplaces, and business development groups to better communicate the rules and benefits of physical distancing to young people.

That includes several infographics highlighting what two metres - the recommended space people should keep between others - looks like in practical terms.

The common example peddled by federal and provincial health officials relating to distancing requirements has been the hockey-stick analogy.

This campaign, meanwhile, takes a slightly different, perhaps trendier approach.

Two metres, besides hockey sticks, is also the equivalent of three French bulldogs, 21 coffee cups - talk about a Starbucks bill, huh? - and a single SoBi bicycle, the popular bike-share service recently axed by city council and then saved by the community.

Public health's release made no mention of the inspiration behind the examples.

Sebastian Bron is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach him via email: sbron@thespec.com