Mecklenburg County to distribute 2 million free masks

CHARLOTTE — Mecklenburg County Manager Dena R. Diorio announced Friday that more than two million free masks will be given out across the county.

One million were donated to the county earlier this week from the federal government.

Another million were collected by Atrium Health and multiple businesses members of the Charlotte Executive Leadership Council.

“Awareness that face coverings are effective is one thing, availability is the other,” Diorio said. “Our goal is to provide these to everyone we can, starting with the populations we already know are vulnerable —the elderly, the Hispanic population and African Americans.”

Officials with Atrium and the CELC want to be part of the solution.

[FAQ: Everything you need to know about NC’s mask, face-covering mandate]

“Earlier this week, I was honored to announce that Atrium Health, together with the several other leaders from the Charlotte Executive Leadership Council have committed to donating 1 million masks to those most in need across the Charlotte area,” said Eugene A. Woods, who is the Atrium Health President and CEO. “With the recent news of this number doubling to over 2 million, I couldn’t be more proud of the public-private partnership in Charlotte, showcasing how business leaders, health professionals and government officials can work in concert to help spur our economy.”

In addition to the two million masks being distributed now, Diorio also says the Board of County Commissioners has $1 million from the county’s federal CARES funds to purchase additional face coverings.

There will be a multi-phase plan, with the help of organizations and local businesses to distribute the masks to areas that are most at risk of getting and spreading COVID-19. A distribution plan is being developed and will be available soon.

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