Bedford family's song encourages Nova Scotians to mask up

A Bedford, N.S., family is using music to encourage people to wear a mask to curb the spread of COVID-19.

On Tuesday, Adam Huffman uploaded the song Mask On, which features himself and his daughters Isla, 6, and Ivy, 3.

The video dropped days before Nova Scotia's mandatory mask inside indoor public spaces came into effect on Friday.

"It goes left ear, right ear, straighten it out. If you've got your mask on kids, give me a shout," the song goes.

"Or maybe right ear, left ear, however you do it, get a grown up to help. There ain't nothin' to it, on a bus or a taxi for a ferry ride, if you're not wearing a mask you're not getting inside."

Huffman said he and his daughters have been making music about COVID-19 since mid-March, when it first arrived in Nova Scotia.

With Mask On, Huffman said: "We wanted to create a fun, goofy tutorial for kids and for adults alike who may not have a lot of experience with face masks."

The video shows Huffman's daughters demonstrating how to put on the mask and having fun at the playground while wearing a mask.

Since posting on social media, Huffman said the response has been positive. He said he's heard from parents who told him their own children were more receptive to wearing a mask after watching the video.

"Mission accomplished, I guess," Huffman said.

Dr. Robert Strang reacts to 'Mask On' video

4 years ago

Duration 2:18

Nova Scotia Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Robert Strang said the video, created by Adam Huffman and his daughters, was positive way to educate people.

The video gives a shout out to Nova Scotia Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Robert Strang, who told CBC Nova Scotia News at Six on Friday he approved.

"Looking at that video, it heartens me a lot that there's lots of people jumping on board with masking in a very positive way and educating people," Strang said.

"I really truly believe that when people understand wearing a mask is about looking after each other, that collectively this is about keeping each other safe, that the vast majority of Nova Scotians are going to do what I call the right thing."

Huffman said it was fun to make the video with his daughters. Some of his other pandemic videos touched on subjects like physical distancing and the Nova Scotia Strong movement.

"We've created others up on our SoundCloud page and there's a couple of videos we've posted on my Twitter page as well, but the most popular one is Mask On," Huffman said.