{"id":19931,"date":"2023-06-08T09:18:59","date_gmt":"2023-06-08T13:18:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/news\/new-york-to-distribute-1-million-free-n95-masks-thursday-amid-hazardous-smoke-levels\/"},"modified":"2023-06-08T09:19:00","modified_gmt":"2023-06-08T13:19:00","slug":"new-york-to-distribute-1-million-free-n95-masks-thursday-amid-hazardous-smoke-levels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/?p=19931","title":{"rendered":"New York to distribute 1 million free N95 masks Thursday amid hazardous smoke levels"},"content":{"rendered":"
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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that 1 million N95 masks will be distributed for free Thursday, as high-quality masks appeared to be in short supply at retailers Wednesday amid dangerously poor air quality due to smoke from Canadian wildfires.<\/p>\n

In a tweet<\/a> late Wednesday, Hochul said 400,000 N95 masks \u2014 the high-quality, tight-fitting masks that became ubiquitous during the pandemic \u2014 will be made available to New Yorkers from the state\u2019s stockpile, while another 600,000 masks will come from federal sources.<\/p>\n

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Masks will be available at MTA facilities at Grand Central Terminal, Penn Station, Fulton Center, Jamaica Station and the Main Concourse of the Port Authority Bus Terminal (South Wing); Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park in Harlem; and Roberto Clemente State Park in the Bronx.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery part of New York State has experienced unhealthy air quality in the last 24 hours as a result of Canadian wildfires, and our number one priority right now is keeping New Yorkers safe,\u201d\u00a0Hochul\u00a0said in a separate statement.\u00a0\u201cProlonged exposure to this harmful air will cause negative health impacts, which is why we\u2019re making high-quality masks available at high-traffic areas across New York. I am encouraging everyone in impacted regions across the state to stay indoors and reduce your exposure to this harmful smoke until air quality improves.\u201d<\/p>\n

The wildfire smoke blanketing much of the Eastern U.S.<\/a> is expected to last for several more days.<\/p>\n

Hochul also encouraged New York schools to cancel outdoor activities and for New Yorkers to avoid strenuous activity, especially outdoors, and monitor their health in the coming days.<\/p>\n

New York City had the worst air quality in the world Wednesday. According to the air-quality app Purple, New York City was registering particulate-matter readings of around 300 on Wednesday evening \u2014 hazardous for everyone. <\/p>\n

Also see: <\/strong>Dangerous U.S. air from Canada\u2019s wildfires: Where does your city rank in the EPA\u2019s Air-Quality Index?<\/p>\n

While there were anecdotal reports of N95 masks and air filters being hard to find at New York retailers, data from Amazon.com Inc.
\n AMZN,
\n -4.25%<\/bg-quote>
\n showed sales were booming. According to Amazon\u2019s \u201cMovers & Shakers\u201d list of top-selling items Wednesday evening, sales of some types of N95 masks shot up more than 1,000% in the past 24 hours. Air filters and humidifiers were also top sellers.<\/p>\n

However, many of the N95 masks and air purifiers listed on Amazon aren\u2019t available for delivery in New York until Saturday at the earliest. That appeared to be a regional supply issue; the same products were available next-day or in two days for a California address.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n