British Columbia Premier John Horgan is asking for a little help from his famous friends to spread messaging about COVID-19 to the province’s younger demographics.
During his weekly media availability Wednesday, the premier called on Ryan Reynolds and other B.C. celebrities like Seth Rogen to help the government spread information on the coronavirus as cases continue to soar amongst the province’s younger demographics.
“This is a call out to Deadpool right now, Ryan we need your help up here,” Horgan said, referencing the actor’s iconic superhero role. “Get in touch with us, my number’s on the Internet. Seth Rogen, another outstanding British Columbian, we need to communicate with people who aren’t hearing us. The two of you alone could help us in that regard.”
After successfully flattening its infection curve ahead of most other provinces, B.C. has seen an unsettling rise in cases over the past month, most notably in people under 40. In the past three months, the number of cases in people aged 20-29 has nearly tripled, with that demographic now making up the majority of confirmed cases in the province. B.C. is also now averaging close to 50 new cases a day, a number not seen since the pandemic’s early days.
The recent surge has been linked to indoor parties and gatherings among young people, including long weekend parties in B.C.’s interior. Over 1,000 people are currently self-isolating in the province due to close contact with a confirmed case.
One recent party alone in Vancouver was the source of dozens of new confirmed cases.
WATCH: B.C. officials have handed out fines for large parties. Story continues below.
Earlier this week, Health Minister Adrian Dix said that there needs to be more messaging directed at young people to encourage them not to attend or host large indoor parties.
“And to do that we are and will be finding people on social media and influencers,” Dix said during a news conference Monday. “But I want to say to everyone out there that we are all influencers and we can influence the behaviour of ourselves and everyone around us.”
Dix surely knows that @VanCityReynolds, as he’s known on social media, is a pretty big influencer.
From helping rescue a lost teddy bear to donating $200,000 to support Indigenous women leaders, Reynolds is a noted good guy in general.
He’s already played a role in the fight against COVID-19. Early on in the pandemic, alongside Canadian hockey icon Hayley Wickenheiser, he helped send a supply of personal protective equipment to Nova Scotia following the tragic shooting in that province.
And way back in March, he answered another call from a Canadian politician, accepting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s challenge to share a video calling on Canadians to “plank the curve” when it came to COVID-19.
“In times of crisis, I think we all know it’s the celebrities that we count on most, they’re the ones that are going to get us through this,” Reynolds joked during his video.
So in the words of another B.C. icon — hey Ryan Reynolds, we just met you. And this is crazy. But we’re fighting COVID-19 together, so call Premier Horgan, maybe?