No clowning around with masks on Mexico City metro

No clowning around with masks on Mexico City metro

A campaign in Mexico City to get residents to wear face masks is now reinforced with a new secret weapon: clowns.

They're telling metro riders, 'Wear a face mask -- don't be a clown!'

As they spray riders' hands with disinfectant.

Gavino Garay has more.

Mexico City doesn't want its public health campaign to turn into a circus, so it hired professional clowns to spray the hands of metro riders with disinfectant and to tell them to "wear a face mask -- don't be a clown." 'Sonrisitas', or smiley, says keeping residents safe is no laughing matter.

"We came to the metro agency and they gave us a contract to do this campaign to give metro users antibacterial gel and face masks.

And, that's essential because if we all use face masks, we'll be covered." The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that while wearing masks is recommended as a way of strengthening social distancing, they do not have data to measure how this affects the risk of transmission.

If anything beyond disinfecting hands, the campaign is helping lift the spirits of local residents like Pedro Gonzalez amid social distancing.

"It's great to see the clowns on the subway, because if you're angry they make you laugh." Smiley and seven of her clown friends will be taking part in the public health campaign at least through the end of May