Short of not having to ever wear these things again, this is the coolest covid mask feature I've seen. Plus, the list of where to get a free one.

If you hadn't heard, there's a nationwide initiative to get an N95 mask into anyone's hands that wants one and at absolutely no cost.

The FREE N95 mask initiative kicked off this week in Illinois

To continue fighting the omicron variant, the Biden administration is making 400 million N95 masks available for free to U.S. residents.

According to NBC Chicago, the face coverings will be allocated from the government's Strategic National Stockpile, which has more than 750 million of the highly protective masks on hand.

The FREE N95 initiative limit is 3 masks per person

The masks will be handed out at many locations around the Rockford area, including:

  • Costco
  • CVS
  • Schnuck's
  • Sam's Club
  • Walgreens
  • Walmart

and Meijer stores, where my wife got her's earlier today. She sent me some photos of the free masks and there's one feature I can't wait to feel.

Coolest Part of These Free N95 Masks Distributed in Illinois This Week
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I've spent most of the pandemic wearing a KN95 mask because of how effective it was at blocking my hot breath from creeping out the top and fogging up my glasses. The little aluminum strip on the KN95 was much stronger than those flimsy little blue surgical mask copies.

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Coolest Part of These Free N95 Masks Distributed in Illinois This Week
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What I really like about the N95 compared to the KN95 is that the front is flat across instead of sticking out a giant bird beak.

Coolest Part of These Free N95 Masks Distributed in Illinois This Week
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How about those double straps? Seems like it might be a better 'one-szie-fits-all' scenario.

Here comes my favorite feature of the free N95 masks.

Because of needing to keep a good and tight fit across my nose, it can sometimes be a bit uncomfortable if you have to have the mask on for a considerable amount of time.

Look at the foam across the the nose area!

Coolest Part of These Free N95 Masks Distributed in Illinois This Week
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I don't know how the free masks are set up at other locations, but at the Meijer store on Perryville Road in Rockford, they had a table set up right inside the front door.

Coolest Part of These Free N95 Masks Distributed in Illinois This Week
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