Cambridge to put its masks where its mouth is: Will give residents free face coverings

Cambridge city officials today answered cranky critics who demanded to know if the city was going to give out masks now that it requires people to wear them in public places: Yes.

Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui announced tonight that police will be given thousands of masks for distribution to Cambridge residents, thanks to a huge donation of masks from the state's Chinese community, in particular the Fo Guang Buddhist Temple.

Masks will be available from a dispenser outside the Cambridge police headquarters - as well as from officers inside and at city school-meal distribution sites. Drive-thru mask pickup sites will be at the Tobin Elementary School and the Kennedy-Longfellow Elementary School, 3-5:30 p.m. Monday-Friday and 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Police cruisers will also be stocked with masks, and officers on patrol will offer them to people they see out and about without one on.

Siddiqui cautioned the masked not to become face-covering vigilantes and to leave enforcement to police - some people might have a valid medical reason for not wearing a mask, and shouldn't have to explain themselves to every covered Tom, Dick and Harry.

The City’s order requiring face coverings in public settings is intended to protect our residents - not punish them. There is clear evidence that many people who are infected will never show symptoms and may unwillingly be spreading the virus if they are not taking preventative measures like covering their face. We have built in a one-week grace period. Following that timeframe, our Police Department will exclusively focus on education for a few weeks when encountering someone without a face covering. Their primary focus after that point will be on education. We need everyone in Cambridge to take this order seriously and do their best to comply. Face coverings are not simply about protecting the person wearing it - they are about protecting others in the community and we all must do our part.