EVERETT, MASS. (WHDH) - The City of Everett is making tens of thousands of free reusable and washable masks available to residents in an effort to curb coronavirus transmission.
This comes after the city mailed reusable masks with the letter “E” and “City of Everett” printed on them to every resident last week, according to Mayor Carlo DeMaria.
“Everett residents don’t have the luxury to work from home. They are blue-collar workers, they go to work every day, they work in grocery stores, or you know doctors…nurses…They are on the front lines,” said Deanna Deveney, the city’s director of communications.
Nearly 30,000 masks have been sent out across the city so far, officials said.
The masks include a QRC code on the inside that can be scanned by using a smartphone camera. The code will then direct residents by using a smartphone camera. Once this code is scanned, residents will be brought to the COVID-19 resources section on the city’s website.
Deveney noted that the city’s food pantry also distributes meals to up to 1,500 people every Wednesday. Roughly 1 million pounds of food has been given out since March.
Everett has been among the communities hit hardest by the pandemic.
“Everett is a tight-knit community and when we are driving around we see people wearing these masks… It shows a sense of resiliency,” Deveney added.
Residents who did not receive a mask or people who would like additional masks can email their name, address, and phone number to masks@ci.everett.ma.us.
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