Vermont to hand out 200,000 free masks

MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) - Starting Saturday, people in Vermont must wear masks in public places where they can’t socially distance. And if you need a mask, the state will be handing out 200,000 of them for free.

Gov. Phil Scott says the state emergency operations center will spearhead this effort called Operation Cloth Face-Covering for Everyone.

They will distribute masks to towns, community partners and local emergency responders to hand out or make available in their communities.

The National Guard will also hand them out at food distribution sites across the state and they'll be available at pop-up testing sites.

"Two-hundred-thousand free cloth masks will be available to Vermonters, donated by many different entities. That should help. That's a third of our population. We want to make sure we provide everything needed to keep others safe," said Scott, R-Vermont.

The mask mandate requires everyone in Vermont to wear a mask indoors and out when you can’t maintain social distancing.

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