Free N95 masks come to WA pharmacies and grocery stores

Free N95 masks will soon be available at several pharmacies and grocery stores in Washington, with some places already offering masks as early as Thursday.

The free masks are part of a federal effort to give away 400 million N95 masks through pharmacies and health centers that have partnered with the federal government’s vaccination campaign.

In Washington, partners include Albertsons, Bartell Drugs, Costco, CVS, Fred Meyer, Rite Aid, Safeway, Walgreens and Walmart. A complete list of partners can be found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, st.news/masking.

Local pharmacies should start receiving the masks “in the coming days,”[ads1]; the State Department of Health on Thursday.

Monica Prinzing, a spokeswoman for CVS’s western region, said some places began giving away masks on Thursday. Masks will arrive at several CVS pharmacies, including locations in Target, and will continue to arrive on a rolling basis, she said.

Masks will be limited to three per person, as long as stocks last, and signs will be hung up to indicate mask availability, according to Prinzing.

Bartell Drugs will also limit customers to three masks each. Although a spokesperson was unable to provide a specific timeline on Thursday for when masks will be available for collection, the regional pharmacy chain expects that some places will receive masks this week, and all stores in early February.

The CDC clarified its recommendation for face covering in January and said that properly fitted N95 and KN95 masks provide the best protection.

The state of Washington plans to distribute around 10 million masks, including KN95 and surgical masks, mainly from existing supplies. Government officials had earlier this month said these masks would be sent to local emergency services and K-12 schools “in the coming weeks.”

Seattle Times Staff Reporter Elise Takahama contributed to this report.