Washington DC — The Biden administration revealed plans to distribute 400 million high-quality masks for free starting next week in the hopes of offering better protection against the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. It follows the official launch of the government's website to request free at-home test kits to arrive by mail.

The White House announced Wednesday that N95 masks will be available for pickup at pharmacies and community health centers across the country.

The administration will begin shipping masks at the end of this week from its Strategic National Stockpile, the White House said.

"This is the largest deployment of personal protective equipment in US history," a White House official told CNN. They said the program will be "fully up and running by early February."

Americans looking to pick up the free masks will be limited to three per person.

"I know we all wish that we could finally be done with wearing masks. I get it," President Biden said last week. "They're a really important tool to stop the spread, especially of the highly transmittable Omicron variant. So, please, please wear the mask."

The government also launched its website for Americans to sign up to receive free at-home Covid-19 tests, allowing people to order a maximum of four tests shipped by the US Postal service.

"The tests are completely free," the site explains. "Orders will usually ship in 7-12 days."

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was slammed in early December for her sarcastic and dismissive response to the suggestion that every American should be sent a free Covid test. After widespread backlash, the Biden administration quickly devised a plan to buy and distribute one billion rapid test kits to give to Americans for free.

The website went live on Tuesday as part of a beta phase ahead of its formal rollout Wednesday morning, with many already flooding the site to order the maximum allotment for each US address.