LOUISVILLE, Ky. — If your personal stock of masks is running low, you'll be able to get three masks for free - as early as this week.
Through the program, approved by the Biden administration, 400 million non-surgical N95 masks are headed to pharmacies and health centers across the country. These masks will be available at no charge for all Americans.
Many stores have already started receiving shipments of the masks, but the program isn't expected to be fully functional until early February, so some locations may not have them yet.
You may want to call your local store ahead of time before going to look for them.
Here's where you can find the free N95 masks in Kentuckiana:
The grocery chain Meijer confirmed Monday that the N95 masks will be available from boxes set on tables near the greeter stand at their stores. Greeters will give out three masks to each customer.
According to the company's press release, Meijer will receive a total of three million masks to distribute.
A Walgreens spokesperson confirmed to WHAS11 that the pharmacy is partnering with the Biden administration to distribute masks.
The spokesperson said the first stores should be able to offer masks by Friday, Jan. 28 and additional stores will receive the shipments on a rolling basis.
A spokesperson for CVS said the company would also be participating in the free mask program. However, the spokesperson was not able to provide a specific date for when stores would receive the masks.
According to the company, the masks will be offered in the pharmacy section of their stores within the coming weeks.
About the program
The White House said the masks will come from the government's Strategic National Stockpile, which has more than 750 million N95 masks on hand. According to a report from the Associated Press, this will be the largest distribution of free masks by the federal government to the public since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently updated its guidance on face coverings to more clearly state that properly fitted N95 and KN95 masks offer the most protection against COVID-19.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
►Sign up for the WHAS11 newsletter: "WHAS Up Kentuckiana." Get the latest headlines and videos from around Kentuckiana delivered daily to your inbox.
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.