GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Meijer is one of the first Midwest grocery retailers to announce free N95 masks for customers.
The Michigan-based grocer is participating in the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services' free mask program that will provide free N95 masks to customers who need them when they enter the store.
The N95 masks will be available at the entrance of the store and will be distributed by the Meijer Greeter. The Greeter will be wearing gloves while distributing the masks and will have them available in stacks of three on a table near the entrance.
The Biden Administration announced last week that they would be making 400 million N95 masks available for free to Americans. The masks are being distributed from the government's Strategic National Stockpile, which has more than 750 million of the highly protective masks on hand.
"Meijer has received an estimated 3 million masks, which have been made available for no charge to any customer who needs them," Meijer said in a statement on Monday.
The White House said the masks will be made available at pharmacies and community health centers around the country that have partnered with the federal government's COVID-19 vaccination campaign.
Meijer continues to offer COVID-19 vaccines and boosters and has already administered over 2.8 million doses. The grocery store chain encourages all eligible individuals to get their vaccine at their local Meijer pharmacy.
The free mask program is partly in response to the government official's emphasis on the need for better protection against the omicron variant of COVID-19.
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