Patriots plane brings N95 masks from China to Massachusetts
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft sent the team plane to China to collect personal protective equipment and bring it back to Massachusetts to use in the fight against the coronavirus.
Gov. Charlie Baker said in a tweet early Thursday that the plane is carrying more than a million N95 masks for the state's frontline workers. Personal protective equipment has been in short supply as the number of coronavirus patients overwhelms hospitals.
"We're grateful that the Patriots plane was able to land in China, load up and return quickly to the U.S.,” Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker told reporters.
Baker said he found sources for the masks in China, but didn’t have a way to get them back to New England.
"Okay, we have somebody we think can help us execute on a purchase,” Baker said. “Then the question becomes, how do you actually get it back?"
That’s when the Kraft family stepped in to help by donating the use of its aircraft. The crew made a brief stop in Alaska to rest and refuel. Then, it was straight on to Boston.
About 900,000 N-95 masks will go to Massachusetts frontline healthcare workers, with 100,000 going to Rhode Island and 300,000 going to hard-hit New York. The Kraft family has already donated another 100,000 masks to New York.
"Finding an inventory of 1.7 million masks during a global pandemic was challenging, but getting them to Boston and New York proved to be a herculean task involving the cooperation of an ambassador, two nations, three governors, one of the world’s largest companies and one of the region’s most philanthropic families – a family that happens to own a rather large AirKraft," the Patriots said.
The first shipment of 1.2 million masks will arrive Thursday. The rest will come as early as next week.The equipment will be added to a stockpile in Marlborough.
A man in Alaska posted images of the plane on layover in Anchorage.
"Ordering vital equipment like this is only one part of the challenge and I am incredibly grateful that the Kraft's worked this issue relentlessly alongside our Command Center staff to get these critical supplies to Massachusetts. The Kraft's, our partners Ambassador Huang Ping, Dr. Jason Li, Gene Hartigan and our Covid-19 Command Center personnel teamed up to get this job done and we eagerly await the plane landing at Logan Airport soon," Baker said in a statement.
"Our administration will keep pursuing the PPE necessary to support our brave front-line workers who are working tirelessly to save lives during this pandemic," he said.
Baker and Kraft plan to meet the plane at Logan International Airport.
"It is an honor for our family to be a part of this humanitarian mission. We knew that purchasing greatly-needed N95 masks and providing the Patriots plane to expedite their delivery to local hospitals would immediately help protect our courageous healthcare professionals," Kraft said in a statement.
The Governor said while he was grateful for the mission’s success, Massachusetts still doesn’t have enough protective gear to fight the virus in the months ahead.
"We will never have enough gear--we will always be seeking gear,” Baker said. “We have a huge pipeline of additional asks and potential orders, and all the rest."
For Pats fans, or anyone who wants to help,100 percent of donations to the Patriots Foundation through the month of April will go towards buying more masks and equipment for first responders.
NBC 10's Katie Davis contributed to this report.
