City To Give Out Free Face Masks In Highbridge Park

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — The city's parks department will distribute face coverings Tuesday in Highbridge Park.

The free face masks will be available between 10 a.m. and noon in the park's recreation center.

New York City started an initiative Saturday to give away more than 100,000 masks in city parks through Tuesday, with plans to distribute an estimated 7.5 million face coverings in coming weeks to combat the spread of the new coronavirus.

"When you put on a face covering you are reducing the spread of this disease and taking one small step toward normalcy," Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday.

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Masks were also distributed in Washington Heights at the J Hood Wright recreation center on Sunday. More about where to find the masks can be found here.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order in mid-April requiring New Yorkers to cover their faces in public when it isn't possible to adhere to social-distancing rules, which say to keep six feet apart from others.

Those who violate the rules may receive a summons.

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