Public Health – Seattle & King County has launched a Public Service Announcement (PSA) video entitled, COVID-19 Community Guidance, in different languages to support the diverse communities that make up King County and connect them to life-saving information. Employees from all over King County contributed to the videos, working to overcome language barriers by providing extensive language translations.

Two of the employees who participated in this video project and translated information are Dr. Eyob Manzengia, Assistant Division Director for

Environmental Health in Public Health, who translated in Amharic, and Silvia Rus, Health and Environmental Investigator I, also in Public Health, who translated in Romanian.

“It’s important to communicate to communities in their languages because they can connect to the information in a way that they couldn’t previously, ensuring that all communities have accurate information to protect themselves and their loved ones,” said Dr. Manzengia.

The translated videos help to ensure that more people in more communities are getting the information they need to stay safe.

“The more we provide these resources, the more accessible they become to the public,” said Silvia.

“The myriad of translations of the same message emphasizes inclusivity of all,” she added.” Then information starts spreading more easily among community members, making sure communities are seen.”

It is important to support one another during this time, and work to overcome misinformation surrounding COVID-19. King County will continue to provide accurate, important information to all members of the community through videos, the Public Health coronavirus website, announcements, and other needed materials. To view the PSA videos in different languages, view them here on the Public Health – Seattle & King County YouTube channel. For more resources about COVID-19, visit www.kingcounty.gov/coronavirus.