Four fire departments in Oktibbeha County and two other locations in Starkville will distribute free face masks Saturday from 9-11 a.m. as part of a statewide effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus.
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency gave Oktibbeha County EMA 43,000 masks, ranging from washable cloth masks to K95 masks, as part of Gov. Tate Reeves’ initiative to provide the equipment to as many members of the public as possible.
Masks will be available at the following locations: Maben Fire Department, 685 Second Ave.; Sturgis Fire Department, 137 Montgomery St.; East Oktibbeha Fire Department, 1669 Old Hwy. 82 E.; Central Fire Department, 11059 MS-12; Oktibbeha County Community Safe Room, 985 Lynn Lane; and Starkville Community Market, Fire Station Park, 503 E. Lampkin St.
The market will have about 400 masks on hand, the four fire departments will each have about 2,000 to 3,000, and the storm shelter will have the rest, OCEMA Director Kristen Campanella said. Leftover masks will go to the Greater Starkville Development Partnership to give to visitors to the city.
EMA has also provided some masks to local churches and other groups, such as Community Counseling Services, Campanella said.
Recipients must be residents of Oktibbeha County in order to receive masks, since each county has its own shipment to distribute, Campanella said. She also stressed that people only pick up masks from one of the six locations and not “double-dip” because supplies are limited, since the county’s population is about 7,000 greater than the number of masks MEMA sent.
Health care facilities in Oktibbeha County have been receiving weekly shipments of masks since March, so Saturday’s distribution will be designated for the rest of the county population, Campanella said.
Tess Vrbin was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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