SEATTLE — You can now pick up free N95 face masks at some pharmacies and health centers around western Washington.
Some Bartell Drug locations in Seattle have already begun handing out the masks to customers. Kroger stores like Fred Meyer and QFC plan to start distributing the masks at Washington locations on Thursday, Feb. 3. Customers are asked to look for the branded display or ask an associate for assistance claiming their N95s.
The mask distribution is part of a federal effort to limit the spread of COVID-19 amid a surge of the highly transmissible omicron variant. The Biden administration announced it was sending 400 million non-surgical N95 masks to pharmacies across the country for Americans to claim for free.
Three masks are available per person. A full list of participating pharmacies within Washington isn’t available yet, but the CDC does have a list of partner pharmacies in the state, including:
- Kroger Co. (including Fred Meyer and QFC)
- Albertsons Companies, Inc (including Safeway)
- Costco Wholesale Corp.
- CVS Pharmacy, Inc
- Rite Aid Corp.
- Walgreens
- Walmart, Inc.
A full list of partners in Washington can be found on the CDC’s website. For details on health centers participating in the program, the Health Resources & Services Administration provides more information on its website.
The program is expected to be fully up and running in early February.
The masks come from a stockpile from the federal government. The shipment is the largest deployment of personal protective equipment in U.S. history.
Earlier this month, the CDC updated its guidance on face coverings to more clearly state that properly fitted N95 and KN95 masks offer the most protection against COVID-19. Still, it didn't formally recommend N95s over cloth masks.