New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft sent a plane full of medical supplies from China to Boston to help with the coronavirus outbreak in the state.
The Patriots plane, which was sent out Thursday afternoon, was filled with 1.2 million N95 masks, according to the Wall Street Journal. The aircraft arrived at Logan International Airport, where it was met by fully-covered workers in masks who assisted with transporting the boxes from the plane, which was only allowed to be on the ground for three hours.
Mass. Gov. Charlie Baker shared a photo of the plane Thursday, saying, “No days off. Thanks to some serious teamwork, Massachusetts is set to receive over 1 million N95 masks for our front-line workers. Huge thanks to the Krafts and several dedicated partners for making this happen.” The supplies come after first being seized prior to delivery, WCVB reports. The agency that stopped the plane was not mentioned.
No days off. Thanks to some serious teamwork, Massachusetts is set to receive over 1 million N95 masks for our front-line workers. Huge thanks to the Krafts and several dedicated partners for making this happen. pic.twitter.com/ieV6XMC5Ow
— Charlie Baker (@MassGovernor) April 2, 2020
“Around the time that we had our 3 million masks that we had ordered through BJs confiscated in the port of New York, at that point it became pretty clear to us that using what I would describe as sort of a ‘traditional approach to this’ wasn’t going to work,” said Gov. Baker. Kraft is likely to join Baker when the supplies land in Boston. “As I said before, 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,” Baker said.
In addition, the Patriots announced that 100 percent of all donations to the Patriots Foundation will go towards buying protective equipment for healthcare workers. According to Politico, there are currently 7,738 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Massachusetts.
