Coloradans rush to pick up free KN95 masks

DENVER — A rush to pick up free KN95 or surgical-grade masks has led to a shortage and some confusion. 

Within hours of opening their eight facilities, Arapahoe Libraries announced on social media they were already out of the 2,500 KN95 masks they were given through a new state program. Some locations are getting calls asking about masks when they were never on list, or in Denver Public Library's case, they are not handing out masks but are on the list. 

The governor's office announced Tuesday, Jan. 18, the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management are providing the masks at public libraries, fire stations, recreation centers, community centers, etc. The state website said there is a limit of five masks per person, per month. 

You can find the locations the masks will be available by clicking here. 

The governor’s office said each distribution site may “approach distribution in their own way,” so people concerned about mask availability should call ahead if possible.

Oli Sanidas, the executive director for Arapahoe Libraries, told Rocky Mountain PBS they were contacted within the last couple of weeks to be apart of the distribution program. They applied for eight to ten boxes of KN95 masks and received five this week. Sanidas said there are 500 individually-packaged masks in each box. Library employees started handing out the masks when doors opened this morning. 

"There were people lining up outside before libraries opened wanting masks," said Sanidas. 

He added notices started coming in within hours of opening from different branches saying they had run out of their supply of masks. Sanidas said they are in the process of ordering more masks, and as far as he understands, the delivery and order process will operate on this request basis. 

He also made it clear that he's glad Arapahoe Libraries could be a part of the distribution and that the state is providing these free masks because clearly there is a high demand. 

An important note: The above list provided by the governor's office indicates that the Denver Public Library (DPL) system will be distributing masks the public. However, the library says otherwise. In an email to Rocky Mountain PBS, library spokesperson Erika Martinez said DPL ordered KN95 masks from the state. Those masks were for staff, not the public, Martinez said.

"We want to support our community and the State efforts but our team is still working on ironing out the operational needs and understanding what it would take for our organization to distribute masks," Martinez said, adding that people should pick up masks from other distribution sites on the list.

In an email response to Rocky Mountain PBS with several questions, Kristen Stewart, Media Relations Specialist with CDPHE said the state delivered 82,500 KN95 and 226,000 surgical masks to distribution points on Tuesday and is shipping more Wednesday. The statement also encouraged people to check the website for the locations listed or call the Colorado Covid-19 hotline at 1-877-CO VAX CO (1-877-268-2926) to find a location near you. They emphasized only those sites opted-in to the program. 

The statement continued:  "We appreciate Coloradans’ patience as the distribution sites get up and running. More locations will be added soon.  We are adding fire stations, YMCAs, VFWs and more as we ship them masks. We have invited those types of sites to opt-in to the distribution program."

The state said the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management has been working on this program for several weeks now, obtaining additional masks and working with partner organizations to opt-in. 

The state did not address the confusion with Denver Public Library. 

A couple metro area fire districts clarified on social media they are not on the above list. They were never apart of the list; but nonetheless, they are receiving phone calls from people asking if they have masks. 

In a call with Rocky Mountain PBS, West Metro Fire's public information officer said she is unsure how many calls they had received asking for masks. She said at this time they've never been contacted about participating in the distribution program.