Michigan college coaches cut ad urging people to wear a mask

Michigan’s two largest public universities — Michigan State University and the University of Michigan — teamed up in a video campaign to encourage the state’s residents to wear masks while in public during the coronavirus pandemic.

“As rivals, we don’t always see eye to eye,” Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh says at the beginning of the video before tossing a football to his Michigan State counterpart Mel Tucker.

The video also features coaches from both schools’ men’s and women’s basketball teams.

Wearing a mask during the pandemic is “one thing we can all agree on,” Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo says later in the video. 

The video was released by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday, following Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s (D) order Friday requiring that Michigan residents wear masks in public indoor places.

Whitmer’s executive order, which went into effect Monday, also requires Michigan businesses to turn away any potential customer not wearing a mask.

Additionally, those found in wanton violation of the mask requirement can be fined $500, but they can’t be arrested or jailed.

“The heroes on the front lines of this crisis have gone hours without taking their masks off every day — doctors, nurses, child care workers, grocery store workers. We owe it to them to wear our masks when we’re on a trip to the grocery store or pharmacy,” Whitmer said in a statement.

She added: “Masks can reduce the chance of spreading COVID-19 by about 70 percent. By wearing masks, we can save lives and protect our family, friends and neighbors from the spread of COVID-19.”

Michigan is one of many states instituting a mask requirement while in public, as the U.S. has experienced a resurgence of COVID-19 in recent weeks that has led to record single-day numbers of new cases multiple times.

The country reported 65,624 new cases of the virus on Tuesday, according to data compiled by The New York Times.