The Biden administration intends to distribute 400 million professional-quality N95 face masks to adults free of charge.
The masks will come out of the Strategic National Stockpile and will be made available to people through local pharmacies and community health centers, an unnamed White House official said. The announcement comes a day after the White House launched its program to provide free COVID-19 tests.
“This is the largest deployment of personal protective equipment in U.S. history,” the official told CNN.
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ROLLS OUT FREE COVID-19 TESTS WEBSITE A DAY EARLY
The 400 million N95 masks would come out of the 750 million masks currently stored in the stockpile and would be part of an endeavor by the Biden administration to ensure the public has access to the more-protective masks. The effort is expected to begin in early February, the official said.
The supply will not include child-sized masks, although two people with knowledge of the matter told Politico that the government is working on acquiring them.
Biden had previewed the plan last week during a speech about using the military to support hospitals.
“I know we all wish that we could finally be done with wearing masks,” Biden said on Jan. 13. “I get it. But they’re a really important tool to stop the spread, especially of a highly transmittable omicron variant.”
Biden is expected to hold a press conference on Wednesday, where he’ll speak on the White House’s endeavors to push back on the omicron surge. The president is expected to announce the mask plan then.
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This push arrives after the CDC updated its mask guidance to recommend that the general population wear N95-grade masks, which are more protective than cloth masks. The push also comes after several states ended their mask mandates. Only 14 states or territories are enforcing a mask mandate regardless of one’s vaccination status in January 2022.
The White House launched its website for ordering free COVID-19 tests on Tuesday. Households can order up to four at-home COVID-19 tests at no cost to themselves.
