Fans Mask Up

WHY WE MUST ACT

COVID-19 can end the careers and lives of the performers we love.It isn't a cold; it’s a serious vascular disease that attacks the entire body’s systems and organs.¹ Long COVID is a debilitating condition with a wide range of symptoms, including cardiac and pulmonary problems, immune deficiency, ME/CFS and cognitive dysfunction.²The chance of developing Long COVID increased with each infection; the risk is 14.6% with first infection and that risk rises to 38% by the third infection.³ At least 65 million individuals worldwide are estimated to have long COVID, with cases increasing daily.⁴The societal and economic impact of Long COVID may be one of modern society’s major challenges in the years to come.⁵COVID is already taking a heavy toll on performers. We explain the harm in this article:

• COVID-19 is Killing Performers

And we document the performers who have been affected (continually updated as new information becomes available):

• List of Performers Affected by COVID

While our awareness-raising centers highly visible public figures, ultimately our goal is to protect everyone: from our favorite performers to our fellow fans to our friends and families and communities.With the right information and tools like high-quality masks, increased ventilation and air filtration, we can dramatically reduce the spread of COVID and create safer public spaces for everyone, including the most vulnerable members of our society.Through collective action we can exert pressure on our leaders to implement evidence-based policy solutions to end this crisis.

ACTIONS

• * Protect the Heart of the Arts campaign

• * Free HEPA Offer to Donmar Warehouse in Partnership with Clinically Vulnerable Families

• * Call to Action for Safer Venues after Someone Infected Neil Gaiman with COVID-19

• * Open Letter to David Tennant: "The Doctor has two hearts, but you only have one, and we want to protect it at all costs."

• * #SaveDavidTennant Action at New York Comic Con