City of Sacramento distributing 800,000 masks to businesses as restrictions loosen
Sacramento will distribute 800,000 masks provided by the state to local businesses, the city announced Thursday. The move comes as Sacramento County has been cleared to begin reopening in-restaurant dining and in-store shopping in the next few days.
Sacramento businesses may receive up to 10 free disposable masks per employee, the city said in a news release Thursday morning.
Local chambers of commerce and property business improvement districts will distribute some of the masks to businesses that belong to those organizations.
For businesses that are independent of those organizations, masks can be obtained on a curbside-pickup basis at three of the city’s community centers:
▪ Belle Cooledge Community Center (5699 South Land Park Drive)
▪ Coloma Community Center (4623 T St.)
▪ South Natomas Community Center (2921 Truxel Road)
The centers are open for pickup from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday, excluding Memorial Day.
“All businesses will be given a one-time allocation,” the announcement says. “Businesses will be asked to provide a business name, address, business operating tax certificate number, a point of contact and the number of masks received. Masks are available on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last.”
Sacramento County was approved by the state this week to accelerate further along within Phase 2 of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s four-phase economic reopening plan. This means a number of retailers, restaurants’ dining rooms and malls like Arden Fair can reopen to customers, but under a number of guidelines.
Many restaurant employees are required to wear masks under state requirements.
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg has been a proponent of widespread mask use as the city and region gradually reopen.
“It’s time to start reopening our economy so our small businesses and working people can get back to earning a living, supporting their families and helping our city thrive,” Steinberg said in a prepared statement. “At the same time, we need to make sure we reopen the right way so we don’t have a surge of infections that would force us to retreat. Providing protective equipment to our small businesses and their employees will allow them to go back to work with greater peace of mind.”
