Mask giveaway Aug. 26 at MSJC Menifee Valley campus as part of ‘Masks are Medicine’ campaign

Riverside County health officials will give out thousands of free facemasks Wednesday (Aug. 26) at the Menifee Valley campus of Mt. San Jacinto College as the Masks are Medicine campaign winds down. The two-hour giveaway begins at 9 a.m. at the campus located at 28237 La Piedra Road. Drivers are being asked to enter the campus off Antelope Road.

The county is closing out the Masks are Medicine campaign in which officials distributed 10 million masks in 30 days, using local nonprofit groups, schools, faith-based organizations and businesses as the main distributors. Masks were also given to those who were tested at one of the county’s 14 coronavirus testing sites.

As of today, nearly all 10 million masks have been given out.

“We are very pleased at the response of the community and the many nonprofits and other organizations which stepped up and provided our residents with masks,” said Kim Saruwatari, director of the Riverside County Public Health Department. “It was a collaborative effort that we believe has made a difference.”

Those who received the masks were asked to pledge to wear it and encourage others to do so. As of today, more than 1,100 have taken the mask pledge online by going to PledgeToFightCOVID.com. In addition, all organizations that are distributing masks are also handing out hardcopy pledge forms.

“We’re happy to partner with the county to provide a location for residents to pick up masks to assist in stopping the spread of COVID-19,” said Beth Gomez, vice president of Business Services at MSJC.

The Masks are Medicine campaign began at the end of July as the number of cases in Riverside County and throughout California were spiking. While the cases and COVID-19-related deaths continue to rise in the county, the rate of increase has slowed. In Riverside County, there have been more than 50,000 confirmed cases and more than 950 coronavirus-related deaths.

Health officials say good handwashing, physical distancing, and wearing a face mask can decrease our risk for infection by 95 percent.