San Antonio Express-News
02/04
Patriots plane ferries critical masks from China to US
BOSTON (AP) - The New England Patriots private team plane is expected to return to Boston from China on Thursday carrying more than one million masks critical to health care providers fighting to control the spread of the coronavirus.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker secured the N95 masks from Chinese manufacturers but had no way of getting them to the U.S., according to a story in The Wall Street Journal.
Team owner Robert Kraft stepped in to help.
"In today's world, those of us who are fortunate to make a difference have a significant responsibility to do so with all the assets we have available to us," Kraft told the Journal.
The plane, a Boeing 767 painted in the team's colors and logo, is usually used to carry the team to and from NFL games.
"Thanks to some serious teamwork, Massachusetts is set to receive over 1 million N95 masks for our front-line workers," Baker tweeted Thursday. "Huge thanks to the Krafts and several dedicated partners for making this happen."