In a nutshell: With the CDC and government now advising people to wear masks outside to help prevent Covid-19 infection, there's good news for Newegg customers in the US: the retailer is giving away protective masks free with every purchase.

Newegg CEO Anthony Chow told Tom's Hardware that the company secured a shipment of the single-use masks for its employees and is now making 5-packs available to customers for free. "They simply need to apply the discount once they add a mask 5-pack to their purchase and the masks are theirs for free," said Chow.

Chow also assured customers that the company was working to keep its warehouses open while maintaining the health of its workers.

Tom's Hardware notes that when it made a purchase on Newegg, an offer to add masks to the order appeared at the checkout. Both items came with rebates, meaning the pack of 50 was $35 instead of $50, while the $5 pack of five was free after applying the discount.

For those willing to spend extra money on more masks, there is a wide range available on the site, varying in price from around $10 up to $172 for a pack of 200.

Some retailers, including Amazon, are now restricting the sale of protective masks, but Chow says the ones being given away on Newegg aren't the same. "It's important to point out that the masks pertaining to this promotion are not N95 or surgical-grade," he explained. "These general-use masks are particularly well-suited to everyday use by the general public, especially relevant given how health authorities in the U.S. are starting to acknowledge the benefits of mask usage by the broader population."

Customers will only be able to take advantage of the free masks for as long as stocks last. They're limited to one pack per order, to stop people hoarding.