Developing story: Hialeah Police officers have been told to wear gloves and N95 masks while working in the city, even in the stations and office, to protect themselves from COVID19 — only the masks expired in 2013.
But don’t worry, they might still work against the coronavirus. And it’s better than nothing.
Photos received by Ladra show that the masks being distributed to Hialeah Police officers have a sticker indicating they 
expired in December of 2013. It might be part of a large shipment of expired masks from the federal 
government.
The specialized masks, called N95 filtering facepiece respirators, “can be less effective if the materials degrade over time, damaging the seal that protects wearers from airborne particles,” according to Business Insider and the New York Times, which first reported that many masks sent to states by the federal government were expired.
But in the face of an overwhelming national or global shortage of all kinds of protective equipment for healthcare workers and first responders, expired masks are better than nothing. The CDC says expired masks might be better than regular surgical masks or “improvised materials” and are certainly better than nothing at all.
Hialeah Police Chief Sergio Velazquez sent out an email Saturday which told officers to wear the masks if they expected to come within six feet of someone, such as on a domestic violence call or any arrest. He has since updated it to say masks are now to “be worn AT ALL TIMES BY ALL MEMBERS ON DUTY.” His caps, not mine.
“The masks will not be replaced unless they become damaged. We will be providing a procedure on how to clean them shortly,” Velazquez wrote in the more recent email. Really? Shortly?
Among the almost 200 positive COVID19 cases found so far in Hialeah, at least one is a police officer.
This story will be updated as more information is obtained.
Hialeah Police get expired N95 masks for COVID19; ‘better than nothing’ added by Ladra on
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