BUFFALO, N.Y. — Erie County is extending an offer to local houses of worship to provide masks in time for upcoming holiday services.
The county's Health Department and Live Well Erie want to provide religious communities with an added layer of protection against respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19 and the flu.
Churches, mosques, synagogues, temples and other faith communities can place orders online here.
If a house of worship is not able to access the online form, it can call (716) 858-1928. You will be asked to leave a message with your name and phone number.
Orders will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis through the end of the year. Pickup instructions will be provided once an order is placed. If pickup is not possible, other arrangements for delivery can be made.
Erie County issued a face mask mandate earlier this month following an increase COVID-19 cases in the county.
"We believe the mask mandate made a difference in Erie County to help us reduce our numbers, especially as compared on the what would be considered the per capita basis, the positivity rates, as well as the 100,000 average population over seven days compared to the rest of Western New York. Masks work in our opinion," said Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz.
Additionally, there is also a statewide mask mandate that just started this week. The statewide mask mandate includes more locations than the previously in-place county-wide mask mandate.