Colorado’s rollout of free KN95 and surgical-grade masks got off to a bumpy start Wednesday, with many residents going to handout sites only to be told that their public library or community center wasn’t handing out masks.

Other communities ran out of masks a few hours after they began distributing them.

The governor’s office announced on Tuesday that the masks would be available for free at libraries, fire stations, recreation centers, VFWs, YMCAs and community centers.

The state delivered 82,500 KN95s and 226,000 surgical-grade masks to distribution points on Tuesday, and shipped “hundreds of thousands” more on Wednesday, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

KN95, surgical-grade masks will be available to all Coloradans

The state initially listed Denver Public Library as a distribution site where residents could get free masks. But on Wednesday, library officials said they were not handing out facial coverings. 

“The Denver Public Library and its branches do not have any KN95 masks for public distribution,” Erika Martinez, the library’s spokeswoman, said in an email. “We ordered masks from the state for our staff and we did receive that shipment.”

As of Wednesday afternoon, the library system was removed from the state’s list of distribution sites. But others like the Jefferson County Public Library remained on the list despite not distributing masks to the public on Wednesday. 

The state released a list of locations on Tuesday, but updated it on Wednesday to lessen confusion, according to Denver Gazette news partner 9News. 

“We updated our website this morning because people were not looking at the list of distribution sites to find participating locations and were calling and visiting sites that did not yet have masks. We want to avoid any additional confusion,” the state health department told the TV station. “Only the sites listed on this site are currently distributing masks. We are adding fire stations, YMCAs, VFWs and more as we ship the masks.”

Children’s Hospital sees record number of COVID-19 patients amid omicron surge

While confusion reigned at some distribution sites, others like the Aguilar Public Library, Akron Public Library and Alamosa Public Library received their shipments and were handing them out to the public.

Akron Public Library received 500 KN95s, said Heidi Hobson, the library system’s director. Aguilar Public Library received two boxes of KN95s and other surgical-grade masks, said Lillian Clark, who is in charge of that library system. 

“We’ve already had a good turnout for our community size,” said Hobson. 

Edwin A. Bemis Public Library in Littleton had an influx of residents looking for masks on Wednesday. The high-interest paired with receiving about half the number of masks the library system requested led to it running out in the early afternoon, said Kristi Moran, a business support associate at the library. 

“There was a whole lot of interest and we were fully out by 2 p.m.,” Moran said.

Security Public Library in Colorado Springs also ran out of masks on Wednesday morning, according to a news release. 

Colorado’s omicron wave has likely peaked, health officials say

While many library systems began distributing the free masks on Wednesday, some like Aurora and Jefferson County public libraries refrained. Both will begin distributing the masks on Thursday, officials said.

Jefferson County Public Library received 2,500 masks from the state. Kim McGrigg, a spokeswoman for the library, said employees spent all of Wednesday delivering them to each of the library’s 10 branches. 

Similarly, Aurora Public Library received around 4,000 masks from the state and will begin handing them out at its six locations during regular business hours on Thursday, said Midori Clark, Aurora’s director of library and cultural services.

The mask rollout comes days after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced cloth masks are not as effective against COVID-19.

“We are on a mission to help Coloradans keep themselves safe, and free medical grade masks are far more effective in preventing infection than cloth masks,” Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement. “By making free medical grade masks available at libraries across our state and soon for home delivery, we are giving Coloradans a powerful tool to avoid infection.”

Health officials have reiterated throughout the pandemic and in recent days that the two most effective tools Coloradans can use to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are masks and vaccinations. 

The state health department encourages all residents to have masks readily available to use in public when asked, though Colorado does not have a statewide mask mandate. 

For an updated list of where to get free masks, visit covid19.colorado.gov/freemasks.