Santa Monica is Giving Away 135,000 Masks to Local Businesses
February 9, 2022 4:02 PM
Beginning tomorrow, for the next two weeks, the City of Santa Monica, in partnership with Santa Monica Travel & Tourism, PPE Unite, and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, are making 135,000 KN95s, N95s, and surgical masks and 2,000 bottles of hand sanitizer available for local businesses to pick up by appointment, while supplies last, for free. The following industries are eligible for the free masks and hand sanitizer through this program:
- Automotive
- Utilities
- Construction
- Manufacturing
- Retail and Digital Trade
- Health Care and Social Assistance
- Restaurants, Hospitality and Food Service
- Arts, Entertainment and Recreation
- Personal Care and Laundry Services
- Childcare Services (schools are ineligible)
- Information and Technology
- Transportation and Warehousing
- Wholesale Trade
- Waste Management and Remediation Services
- Motion Picture and Sound Recording
- Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and Hunting
- Mining, Quarrying, Oil and Gas Extraction
Eligible businesses must sign-up for a pick-up time by clicking here to ensure supplies are available. This giveaway is part of the City of Santa Monica’s ongoing economic recovery efforts and builds on the free distribution of 50,000 masks earlier in the pandemic. This collaboration comes at a much-needed time for small businesses. On January 17, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health changed the Health Officer Order to state that all indoor businesses must provide high quality surgical masks to their employees. This requirement was issued to better protect workers due to the highly contagious Omicron variant and the countywide surges earlier in the pandemic.
“We are eager to support Santa Monica businesses by offering free personal protective equipment to keep Santa Monica workers safe as we work together to lower community Omicron transmission,” said Lindsay Call, Santa Monica Emergency Operations Center Director.
"Our goal is to ensure the health and safety of LA workplaces during the pandemic, and we are excited to partner with the City of Santa Monica and Santa Monica Travel & Tourism to extend distribution of critical free PPE to the local West LA business community." said Jay Tsao, Co-founder of PPE Unite.
While supplies last, each eligible business will be given a 30-day supply of PPE per employee by registering for an appointment here. The pick-up location is at the Santa Monica Travel and Tourism Main Street Information Center, 2427 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405. Appointments are required and pick-up hours are 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 7 days a week. Text or call (424) 443-7444 or email info@santamonica.com with any questions.
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Media Contact
Miranda Iglesias
Public Information Coordinator
Miranda.Iglesias@SMGOV.NET