Oakhurst Area Chamber of Commerce Announces N95 Mask Distribution
OAKHURST – The Oakhurst Area Chamber of Commerce has announced that it is a distribution center for N95 masks provided at no charge to comply with the state of California mandate that employers must provide these masks to unvaccinated workers if the unvaccinated employee requests.
The new Cal/OES language states:
Upon request, employers shall provide respirators for voluntary use in compliance with subsection 5144(c)(2) to all employees who are not fully vaccinated and who are working indoors or in vehicles with more than one person.
Chamber administrator Judi Hussain states, “we have obtained a limited supply of masks to give to our local businesses. They come in boxes of 20 masks, so please place your order in boxes or multiples of 20. Priority distribution will be given to businesses in the Oakhurst/Coarsegold/Bass Lake/North Fork and surrounding areas. We’ve had requests from as far away as Chowchilla and Visalia.”
For more information on new or changing regulations, here are three good resources to consult:
California Employers Assn:
California Public Health Order:
California’s Covid page: https://covid19.ca.gov/
In order to obtain masks for your business, please call the Chamber office at 559/683-7766 or send an email to chamber@oakhurstchamber.com to make an appointment. The office is staffed Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 10 am to 2 pm but is not yet open to the public, and you will need to be masked.
If you are unable to get an N95 respirator through the chamber of commerce, I recommend the following:
I strongly recommend that all who do not already have N95 respirators go to https://shop.projectn95.org and buy N95 respirators. They are a non-profit and do not make any money off your purchase. They thoroughly vet all sources. In fact at this point, they get nearly all products directly from the manufacturer. I am not affiliated with the organization. They are the only source I know of that you can truly rely on for getting N95 respirators that are not counterfeit. If I were you, I would not trust any other source offering N95 respirators that are not counterfeit or fraudulent. Keep in mind N95 respirators are single-use items. Do not reuse N95 respirators. Please plan your purchase quantity accordingly.
All frontline workers (including medical professionals), I strongly recommend that you go to https://shop.projectn95.org/ , register as a frontline worker, and buy as many surgical N95 respirators as you need to avoid respirator reuse and comply with pre-pandemic OSHA and infection control regulations, policies, and standards, including a new surgical N95 respirator per patient.