Free face masks to be given away at Tri-Cities drive-thru event
Free cloth face masks will be given away by Benton and Franklin County Emergency Management Offices in a drive-thru in Pasco on Wednesday, July 1.
Washington state bought 3.6 million cloth face masks to provide two masks to every person in Washington below 200% of the federal poverty level. That covers a family of four with $52,400 or less in annual income.
The state has given 178,000 of the cloth face coverings to Benton and Franklin counties as a new state order requiring most people to wear masks in public places takes effect.
Some of the masks will be given away 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Franklin County Emergency Management Office, 1011 E. Ainsworth Ave., Pasco.
No proof of income will be required in the drive-thru giveaway, but the intent is to get the masks to those who can least afford to buy their own.
Masks also are being given out by Impact Compassion at 9 S. Dayton, St., Kennewick, from 1-3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.
Other masks from the state are being distributed by Meals on Wheels with meal deliveries and at food distribution events held by food banks served by Second Harvest.
Additional masks from the state went to the local Boys and Girls Club, St. Vincent de Paul, the Salvation Army, The Union Gospel Mission, Community Action Connection in Pasco and Prosser, the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic and Benton-Franklin Head Start.
New mask order
On Friday the statewide order to wear cloth face masks in most public places took effect.
The Washington state Department of Health recommends that the face covering include a couple layers of cloth. It must cover your mouth and nose.
Surgical-grade masks and N95 respirators continue to be reserved for health care and other workers, such as first responders.
Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer before putting on a mask and after you take it off. Try not to touch your face covering after you put it on.
Masks should be cleaned in a washing machine after each day’s use.
Children younger than 2 should never wear a face mask because of the risk of suffocation, according to the Benton Franklin Health District.
The face covering requirement that started Friday includes exemptions for people with certain disabilities or health conditions, people who are deaf or hard of hearing and rely on reading lips and children under the age of 5, although masks are encouraged for children ages 3-5.
The order covers indoor public spaces such as stores, restaurants and offices, and outdoor spaces when people may be within six feet of nonhousehold members.
People may take off their mask to eat or drinking or to communicate with someone who is deaf or hard of hearing
Not wearing a mask, if not exempt from the order, is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $100 or up to 90 days in jail. However, most law enforcement agencies say their approach will be to educate the public.