Highmark Health has donated 2,000 masks for immediate distribution throughout Erie County to help slow the spread of COVID-19, County Executive Kathy Dahlkemper and the Erie County Department of Health announced Friday. 

Officials from Highmark Health will deliver the masks to the Erie County Department of Health on Monday at 10:30 a.m. 

Masks will be distributed at COVID-19 test sites in the City of Erie and in rural communities throughout Erie County. Potential distribution sites in the County include food pantries. 

The mask distribution to rural areas in Erie County is part of the Department of Health's initiative to better reach underserved populations with critical news and information amid the pandemic. Erie County recently announced it is conducting a study to determine how to best communicate vital COVID-19 information to underserved populations.