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.