According to the Illinois-based pharmacy chain, the first stores to offer up free masks are expected to begin distribution as early as Friday.
Walgreens and CVS are starting to distribute free N95 masks from the government to area residents Thursday and Friday, while other Illinois stores and pharmacies have already begun.
According to CVS Health, some locations expect to receive mask shipments Thursday, with more arriving on a rolling basis as supplies become available.
"Inventory is expected to begin to arrive at these locations as early as Thursday, January 27 and will continue arriving on a rolling basis as additional supply becomes available," the company told NBC 5 in a statement. "Masks are limited to three per person, while supplies last, and signs will be posted to indicate N95 mask availability."
A Walgreens spokesperson said in a statement that first stores will begin offering free N95 masks starting Friday.
Like CVS and other pharmacies, Walgreens noted that participating locations will show signage indicating mask availability.
Meijer began handing out free N95 masks to shoppers Monday, becoming one of the first major retail chains to do so as part of a Biden administration initiative.
The Michigan-based company and numerous other retailers enrolled in the COVID-19 Vaccination Federal Retail Pharmacy Partnership are receiving an allotment of masks to distribute to the public in the coming days.
Meijer said in a statement that it received an estimated three million masks, which will be available for anyone who needs them.
The masks will be located in boxes on a table near the grocery store entrance, the company said in a news release. A Meijer greeter, who will be wearing gloves, will place the N95 masks in piles of three for customers to take.
Meijer isn't the only Midwest chain to have started giving out masks.
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Des-Moines based Hy-Vee, which operates more than a dozen stores in Illinois, said the majority of its locations in the state have received shipments of N95 masks and started distribution.
All 275 Hy-Vee pharmacy locations will receive their mask allocation by mid-week, a company spokeswoman said.
A total of 400 million face masks from the Strategic National Stockpile are being sent to retailers and health centers across the country and were expected to be given out starting this week. Each resident will be limited to three masks per person to ensure broad access to the program, according to a White House official.
Walmart plans to make masks available starting late this week at the front of select Walmart and Sam's Club stores, according to a statement provided by the retailer.
A spokeswoman for Kroger, which operates the Chicago-area supermarket chain Mariano's, said stores with pharmacies will serve as distribution points for N95 masks, and more details will be shared this week.
Here's a list of where you'll be able to find a free N95 mask in Illinois, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
- Albertsons Companies (including Osco, Jewel-Osco and other subsidiaries)
- Costco
- CPESN USA
- CVS
- Good Neighbor Pharmacy and AmerisourceBergen Drug Corporation’s pharmacy services administrative organization (PSAO), Elevate Provider Network
- Health Mart Pharmacies
- Hy-Vee
- LeaderNET and The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy, Cardinal Health’s PSAOs
- Meijer
- The Kroger Co. (including Kroger, Mariano’s, Pick-n-Save and other brands under the company)
- Piggy Wiggly
- Schnucks
- Walgreens
- Walmart (including Sam’s Club)
To find a health center near you, click here. A full list of which pharmacies and retailers are participating in the program can be found here.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance on masks for the general public Jan. 14, saying people "may choose" to wear N95 and KN95 masks because they offer the best protection against Covid. But the agency stopped short of recommending that people seek out certain masks over others.
During the early days of the pandemic, people in the U.S. were urged to leave N95 masks and the KN95 versions made in China for health care workers, according to NBC News. But since then, the U.S. has bolstered its manufacturing capacity, and the country now has a stockpile of 750 million N95 masks as part of the Strategic National Stockpile for health care workers.
Some members of Congress have pressured Biden to more aggressively address the financial cost of COVID tests and masks to shift the burden away from U.S. households. The N95 masks can sell for as little as $1 and be reused several times, but they can add up to be more expensive than reusable cloth masks over time.
