San Benito County and the City of Hollister have partnered with the Chamber of Commerce to provide free face coverings for local residents and non-profit organizations. They will host a drive-thru face covering distribution event on Saturday, April 25 from noon to 4 p.m. or until the stock is gone.
County residents can pick up their face coverings at Winn Alley off of Fifth Street, next door to the San Benito County Office of Education.
San Benito County officials issued a press release stating that they are distributing the face coverings in order to be in compliance with the pending Public Health Order issued by the San Benito County Health Officer.
As of April 23, there have been 47 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in San Benito County. The local death count remains at two, according to county officials.
The data from San Benito County Public Health Services’ latest community newsletter shows that 762 patients have been tested for the novel coronavirus locally. Of these, 684 have tested negative and 31 are pending results.
Of the 47 positive cases of COVID-19, one patient is in the 0-17 age group; 29 are in the 18-49 age group; 12 are in the 50-64; and five are age 65 or older.
In California, there have been 35,396 total cases reported, and 1,354 deaths from COVID-19.
A face covering may be factory-made or a handmade covering that’s improvised from ordinary household materials such as a scarf or bandana, according to county staff. Other materials include a neck gaiter, a homemade covering made from a t-shirt, sweatshirt or towel and must be held on with rubber bands or other fasteners.
San Benito County officials emphasized that “the face covering should be comfortable, so that the wearer can breathe comfortably through the nose and does not have to adjust it frequently, so as to avoid touching the face. Please avoid acquiring medical grade face masks for personal use.”
The county also requested to allow community members who don’t have appropriate face coverings and have no other means to acquire a face covering to be prioritized as stock is limited.
San Benito County Office of Emergency Services is coordinating with area non-profit groups that may have members who need face coverings. Please call 831-636-4168 for information.
