People needing protective masks caused a traffic jam at the Oakdale Mall in Johnson City.

Cars showed up at the distribution site well before 8:30 a.m. Friday when it was scheduled to open.

A Johnson City police officer who was in the mall parking lot said officials were surprised by the number of people who arrived early.

Broome County Executive Jason Garnar said "it was a pretty amazing sight to see" all the vehicles with people seeking the cloth masks. The county Wednesday received 68,000 masks from the federal government.

In addition to the distribution point near the former Macy's store at the mall, masks were available at Otsiningo Park in the town of Dickinson.

Boxes of masks awaiting distribution at the Oakdale Mall on April 24, 2020. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)
Boxes of masks awaiting distribution at the Oakdale Mall on April 24, 2020. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)
loading...

Both the mall and park distribution sites are scheduled to be open Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

There is a limit of one mask per person and five masks per household.

Additional mask distribution points are expected to be set up on Monday.

A woman requested that cloth masks be placed in the trunk of her car. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)
A woman requested that cloth masks be placed in the trunk of her car. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)
loading...
A Broome County security officer helped guide traffic entering the Oakdale Mall. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)
A Broome County security officer helped guide traffic entering the Oakdale Mall. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)
loading...
Vehicles line up at the Otsiningo Park mask distribution point. Photo: WNBF News
Vehicles line up at the Otsiningo Park mask distribution point. (Photo: WNBF News)
loading...

Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com

For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.

Top Ten News Stories of 2019

More From 99.1 The Whale