Free N95 masks to be provided at Colorado libraries and community centers
The Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management will offer free KN95 and surgical-grade masks at public libraries, fire stations, recreation centers, VFWs, YMCAs and high-traffic community centers beginning this week.
Gov. Jared Polis’ administration announced the plan late Tuesday afternoon. Mask distribution sites are listed at covid19.colorado.gov/freemasks.
“We are on a mission to help Coloradans keep themselves safe, and free medical grade masks are far more effective in preventing infection than cloth masks,” Polis said in a news release. “By making free medical grade masks available at libraries across our state and soon for home delivery, we are giving Coloradans a powerful tool to avoid infection.”
But the public announcement of the program by the governor’s office appears to have caught some off guard.
Several Front Range public library systems — including Denver, Jefferson County and Pueblo — took to social media Tuesday evening to tell their patrons that they do not have KN95 masks to give out. The Denver Public Library has since deleted its social media posts on the subject.
Nick Potter, director of community relations for the Pueblo Library District, said the announcement wasn’t a surprise, but, rather, “a matter of folks seeing the headline and skipping the details.” He said the Pueblo Library received 8,000 masks around 7 a.m. Wednesday and is planning to begin distribution Thursday.
Erika Martinez, communications director for the Denver Public Library, said the facility deleted its social media posts to avoid adding “any additional confusion to our community.” She encouraged people to seek out other locations that are scheduled to distribute the masks. In the metro area, the state’s list includes sites in Aurora, Littleton and Westminster.
“We don’t believe it’s in the best interest of our community to discuss the behind-the-scenes activities of the rollout,” Martinez wrote in an email.
The Denver library did order KN95 masks from the state for staff use, she said, but it does not have any for public distribution.
“We are working with the state and our team to iron out the operational needs and what it would take for our organization to distribute,” she said.
Colorado has reported more than 10,000 new cases of COVID-19 in a single day nine times in 2022, after having never reached six figures for new cases in a single day at any point prior during the pandemic. Of specimens tested last week, every case of COVID-19 in Colorado was from the omicron variant.
The new mask initiative comes as the federal government opens its program to mail free COVID-19 tests to people’s homes. State officials also had been distributing higher-quality masks at schools. According to the state, they’re offering masks to “provide high-quality personal protective equipment to Coloradans who might be especially at risk during the pandemic and future public health emergencies.”
The state recommends people upgrade from cloth masks to medical-grade masks like KN95 or surgical masks.
According to state officials, vaccination and mask-wearing are the two most essential tools Coloradans can use to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Anyone age 5 or older can access COVID-19 vaccines.
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