ORLANDO, Fla. – With a mask mandate in effect for Orange County, officials on Tuesday organized a face mask giveaway for residents to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The event was hosted by District 5 Commissioner Emily Bonilla, who helped distribute the masks from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Goldenrod Recreation Center.
"Since we have a mandate now for people to wear masks, it's really good that we get these masks out there," Bonilla said. "It helps protect you and others."
According to Bonilla, 500 cloth masks were donated by Million Mask Challenge and an additional 10,000 disposable masks were purchased through money from the federal CARES Act.
"Giving out these masks for free is something to relieve (residents) of that cost burden that they may have," Bonilla said.
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Jacqueline Crosby said she decided to line up for the event because of an upcoming trip to the Grand Canyon with her grandsons.
"We're going to fly on a plane, so we thought we'd get a box of masks so that way we can have them for the plane ride," Crosby said.
County officials have previously said residents should wear cloth face coverings in public to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Orange County has seen the largest amount of cases in Central Florida and a dramatic spike in positive results this month.
Prior to this week, small businesses were the primary focus for distribution of personal protective equipment by the county. Bonilla said business owners will continue to receive help from the county, but she hopes additional distribution events for residents will be held in the near future.
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