Mountain Village to distribute KN95 masks to residents and businesses starting December 16
In an effort to help the community better protect itself from the spread of COVID-19, Mountain Village recently purchased 5,000 KN95 masks to distribute for free to residents and businesses.
Mask distribution will begin Wednesday, December 16 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in three different locations throughout Mountain Village: Village Court Apartments, The Meadows Post Office and the Gatehouse on Mountain Village Boulevard near Mountain Village Town Hall.
Five KN95 masks per household will be distributed to residents at no cost. Mountain Village business owners who would like masks for employees can reach out to to arrange delivery.
Mountain Village staff will distribute KN95 masks on a weekly basis as supplies last. Residents and businesses will be reminded of the distribution each week via social media and ReadyOp notifications after December 16. To sign up for ReadyOp notifications, visit bit.ly/mvnotifications.
The idea was first proposed by Town Council Member Pete Duprey in November after discussions with Mountain Village residents. Staff presented a proposal for rolling out the distribution, and Town Council approved spending $10,000 to fund the mask distribution.
“According to the Center For Disease Control (CDC), the best way to protect yourself and others around you is to wear a mask, so we are trying to ensure that our residents have access to high quality masks,” said Town Council Member Pete Duprey.
The CDC and other public health officials recommend KN95 masks as the most effective at preventing the transmission of COVID-19 second to N95 masks, which are reserved for health care workers.
Double layered fabric masks are a good alternative as well, but the town council wants to encourage residents to move away from using single-layer neck gaiters or bandanas as they are not as proven to effectively prevent transmissions.
“One of the biggest things we can do to protect our community is giving them the tools and resources they need to make good decisions,” said Laila Mayor Benitez.
