If you want to mobilize masses of people to rally around a life-saving cause, he's really the natural person to turn to for assistance and advice.

After all, Sir Bob Geldof is a past master when it comes to that kind of thing, having organized Live Aid and Live 8. (He's also a former Georgia Straight staffer, but he's probably tired of us pointing that out every chance we get.)

So, naturally, when English pop singer Rita Ora was brainstorming ways she could lend her support to a campaign to slow down the spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19, it was Geldof she turned to. 

"Thinking about what I can do to try and help, I reached out to Sir Bob Geldof for advice on how best to make any kind of difference," Ora stated in a press release. "Bob was beyond gracious, as of course he has been the master of mobilizing young people all his life. He and I have been discussing ways of mobilizing and uniting the younger generation with clear effective messaging.

"His first idea was to design an emblem to remind us all that we have a battle to fight together. After working on this symbol, I sent it to the UN Foundation, who helped set up the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization. I started discussing with them how we could work together, to encourage people to unite to combat as much as we can the spread of this virus. There are simple things we can all do to make a difference."

The logo—a virus contained within a peace symbol—is now available on items including hoodies, T-shirts, hats, and stickers, all available on the Stop the Spread shop page. All proceeds go to the WHO's COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.

 

 

 

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A post shared by RITA ORA (@ritaora) on Mar 19, 2020 at 1:43pm PDT