Masks are no longer in short supply. Free ones can be found in the Bradenton area
When the history of the COVID-19 pandemic is written, scholars will note that face masks and hand sanitizer were almost impossible to find in the early days. To say nothing of toilet paper.
Five months into the pandemic, that’s no longer the case. Many retail stores now have plenty of masks and sanitizer on their shelves. Some organizations are giving away masks, which have become the must-have accessory of the day.
Costco was one of the first to require customers to wear masks on May 4. A growing number of other businesses gradually followed suit as the rampaging pandemic showed no signs of slowing down, including the Anna Maria Oyster Bar restaurants, The Sandbar Restaurant, Beach House Waterfront Restaurant, and Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant & Pub.
This week, Walmart and Sams Club announced that starting Monday, customers will be required to wear face coverings to enter any of their stores nationwide. Publix has announced that customers will be required to wear masks starting Tuesday. Others announcing mask requirements for customers this week include CVS and Walgreens starting Monday, and Targets, starting Aug. 1.
Among those helping to supply face masks is the Manatee Chamber of Commerce, which received 62,000 reusable cloth masks through its partnership with the Florida Department of Health. The Health Department recognized that the chamber is in an ideal position to distribute free masks to businesses for their employees.
“So far, we have given out more than 35,000 masks to 625 businesses and non-profits. The response has been really positive and business owners have expressed gratitude for being able to access masks to give to their employees. For some of our larger employers, in particular, the free masks mean a significant cost savings to buying masks for all of their employees,” Jacki Dezelski, president and CEO of the chamber, said in an email.
“By distributing the masks from our two offices and briefly seeing these business owners in person during pick-up — with masks on, proper hand hygiene, and social distancing in place, of course — our Chamber team has been able to help them make other important connections to needed resources and information,” Dezelski said.
The Manatee Chamber offers an online tool at www.RecoverManatee.com that business owners can use to request masks.
Goodwill Manasota has also partnered with health departments to distribute face masks in its retail and select mission services locations.
Goodwill Manasota announced recently that it has 55,000 masks available for distribution throughout the community, in order to continue to help protect the health of shoppers and its team members. All who are in need can receive a mask at any Goodwill retail store or select mission program location, including its Veterans Services Program office and Job Connection offices at its corporate campus and Selby/Newtown locations.
Goodwill Manasota received 32,000 masks from the Manatee County Health Department, 22,500 from the Sarasota County Health Department, and 500 from the DeSoto County Health Department.
Goodwill has been providing personal protection equipment to its team members at all donation sites as well as in retail stores since reopening on May 4, when the statewide stay-at-home order ended, and will now be able to give away the masks for as long as supplies last.
The organization operates 16 retail stores, including two Bargain Barns and two bookstores as well as several dedicated mission program offices in Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties.
For more information or for a list of locations, visit experiencegoodwill.org.
The Manatee County Health Department reports that it has distributed approximately 401,000 face masks to Manatee partners, including, but not limited to, Mantee County Rural Health, Centerstone, Turning Points, faith-based organizations, food pantries and summer food programs.
The health department also distribute face masks one-on-one to members of the public whenever it conducts a specimen collection operation and at community events in which it participates.
Starting Friday, businesses within Bradenton’s city limits will be required to post signs recommending that customers wear masks in public.
Bradenton City Council this week voted unanimously to approve the emergency ordinance regarding face coverings. Businesses that don’t post the signs can be fined. It is up to businesses to decide whether to enforce the policy.
The cities of Anna Maria, Holmes Beach, and Sarasota have enacted measures making wearing a face mask mandatory within their city limits.
A growing number of restaurants and retail businesses have reported employees testing positive for COVID-19, despite putting up plastic shields and requiring their staff to wear face masks. The next step in curbing the viruses spread is to require customers to wear masks as well.
Wearing a face mask is the best way to prevent spread of the disease, Dr. Jennifer Bencie, the Florida Department of Health in Manatee County’s health officer and other health experts have said.
This story was originally published July 16, 2020 at 2:35 PM.
