WOULD YOU LIKE FACE MASKS WITH YOUR FRIES?

Big Mac, large fries and Coke. Oh, and a mask, please. On Friday, the Alberta government announced it would be distributing 20 million masks via drive-thru restaurants, saying they allow for social distancing while getting face-coverings into the hands of the public. The masks will be free, and available at A&W, Mcdonald’s and Tim Hortons drive-thrus by early June. Each person will be allowed four masks, the government said, and they’re not the sort of masks used by health-care workers, so it’s not taking protective equipment away from the medical system. Tyler Shandro, the health minister, said the masks will be available at 600 locations, and 95 per cent of Albertans live within 10 kilometres of either a Mcdonald’s, Tim Hortons or A&W. “Our government cannot supply Albertans with unlimited masks. This allotment of four masks should be considered a supplement to store-bought or homemade masks,” said Shandro. Plans for distributing masks in Indigenous communities and smaller centres are underway, Shandro said. The project’s cost is around $350,000, he said.