The State of California completed delivery of 514,562 N95 masks to the Ventura County Office of Education in Camarillo today. The masks will be distributed to Ventura County public and private K-12 schools for voluntary use by students and staff. Each school and district will develop its own procedure for making the masks available. 

N95 masks fit snugly to the face and provide a higher level of protection from the coronavirus than the more common surgical masks. The CDC says N95 masks filter out at least 95% of airborne particles. 

The use of N95 masks is completely voluntary, and they are not intended for use by young children because of their size. State regulations require school staff and students age two and older to wear face coverings indoors on school campuses. However, families and employees may decide what type of mask they prefer. 

“We’re grateful to the state for providing these N95 masks for students and staff who would like to use them,” said Dr. César Morales, Ventura County Superintendent of Schools. “Anything we can do to help slow the spread of the virus will support our efforts to keep schools safely operating during the pandemic.”

For the latest information about COVID-19 and Ventura County schools, please visit www.vcoe.org/covid-19.