BY KAREN BOSSICK
Got vaccine? Been vaccinated?
That’s the question on a lot of people’s minds these days. And one man is trying to address it with a new facemask that spells out “SVaccinated.”
The new mask is an extension of Ketchum entrepreneur Nick Harman’s Novel Corona Kit, which featured a face mask one can hang around their neck when not wearing it around one’s face. It also dovetails with his “Small Ask. Wear a Mask” campaign, which has showed up in various venues, including Sun Valley Resort.
“Everywhere I go, people ask, ‘Have you been vaccinated?’ ” he said. “And I know, when I’m with someone who’s been vaccinated, I know I feel a little safer.”
People are focused on the virus as they hope for herd immunity, he added.
“At the Apothecary you see people emerge from getting their shots smiling as if they’ve passed their driver’s test. If I’m walking down the grocery aisles and I see people have been vaccinated, it gives me a lot more confidence.
“It’s like we’re in this transition period between being at the mercy of the virus and having protection—like we’re at the 10-yard-line when it comes to keeping ourselves safe. Wearing these masks is kind of like wearing the little sticker that says, ‘I voted.’ ”
The face masks are similar to Harman’s original “On/Off Mask. Always Around” face masks in that they can be draped around the neck when not in use.
They are available in Ketchum at Madeleine + Oliver, Ketchum's Apothecary and Ketchum Kitchens.