 Biden
administration to distribute more than 25 million masks
Send a link to a friend
[February 25, 2021]
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Biden
administration will deliver more than 25 million masks to community
health centers, food pantries and soup kitchens this spring as part of
its battle against the coronavirus pandemic, the White House said on
Wednesday.
|
|
 U.S. health authorities recommend mask wearing as a critical measure
to help slow the spread of disease and the White House said
low-income Americans still don't have access to masks.
The government will deliver the masks to more than 1,300 community
health centers and 60,000 food pantries and soup kitchens between
March and May, the White House said.
The masks are expected to reach between 12 million and 15 million
Americans, it said.
Democratic President Joe Biden issued a mask mandate when he took
office in January as the pandemic raged on, requiring masks and
physical distancing in all federal buildings and the development of
a testing program for federal employees for COVID-19.
[to top of second column] |
 Shortly afterward, the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued
a sweeping order requiring the use of face masks
on nearly all forms of public transportation.
The White House said two-thirds of the people
served by community health Centers live in
poverty, 60% are racial and/or ethnic
minorities, and nearly 1.4 million are homeless.
"These masks will be no cost, high-quality,
washable, and consistent with the mask guidance
from the CDC. All of these masks will be made in
America, and will not impact availability of
masks for health care workers," the statement
said.
(Reporting by Makini Brice and Doina Chiacu;
Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content |
