Walz visits Central Minnesota Council on Aging, highlights state partnership to distribute nearly 400K cloth masks

Tuesday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz visited the Central Minnesota Council on Aging and announced a state partnership with community organizations to distribute nearly 400,000 cloth masks for those who need one.

The governor highlighted the importance of masks, stating he wants seniors to know if they need a mask they can stop by the Central Minnesota Council on Aging to grab one or have one mailed to them.

Catholic Charities has been working with seniors, noting they are the most vulnerable population with COVID-19 and are following the guidelines and staying home. Because of that, Catholic Charities went from serving seniors about 26,000 meals per month to 96,000 per month. That provides a better opportunity to provide masks to those who need them when they deliver meals.

The first shipment will include 400,000 masks, according to Walz. He says the best way for seniors to get masks is to call the LinkAge line at 1-800-333-2433.

Watch the full news conference below.