The New England Patriots team plane ‘Air Kraft’ just returned from Shenzhen, China with 1.2 million N95 masks for healthcare professionals on the front lines of this coronavirus pandemic.
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker worked together with Patriots owner Robert Kraft and team President Jonathan Kraft for a couple of weeks to make this happen.
In a live press conference at the airport, Baker thanked the Krafts and everyone who was instrumental in the delivery including Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy, Chinese Ambassador in New York, and Huang Ping, who he said was instrumental in this delivery, the Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry in Beijing, and many others for working together around the clock to get this done.
The plane had to be specially prepared for the international flight with special waivers signed and the crew had to stay on the plane for nearly 3 hours while the cargo was loaded to avoid a 14-day quarantine in China.
“This shipment comes at a critical time as we prepare for an anticipated surge in the coming weeks ahead. It’s not a secret that securing PPE has become an enormous challenge,” said Baker. “We need more, we will always need more, but what we were able to accomplish with this particular mission will go a long way forward in this fight.”
The Wall Street Journal reported that after Baker struck a deal with a collection of Chinese manufacturers, he had no way to get the masks back to Massachusetts. So, he reached out to his longtime friend Jonathan for help.
Baker addressed Jonathan Kraft at the podium:
Honestly, we can’t thank you and your dad and your family enough, for answering the call and helping make this happen, and for the many, many dedicated front-line workers across this state who are battling COVID-19 on behalf of the people of Massachusetts every single day, this gear will make an enormous difference.
The Patriots paid $2 million toward the masks or about half the total cost, and 300,000 of the masks will be sent on Friday to New York City who has been hit the hardest by the virus. The trip was originally scheduled to bring back 1.7 million masks, however, they could not all fit on the plane so the other 500,000 will be brought over separately.
Robert Kraft commented on the group effort:
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.
I truly hope that in doing so, we can in some way inspire others to find creative ways to give more in support of our doctors, nurses, and first responders. It’s nice to care for those who provide such compassionate care for us.
Others in the NFL family who have been getting involved include, Buffalo Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula have donated at least $1.2 million to local Western New York charities and hospitals and, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and his wife Brittany who have donated $5 million to help provide food for people in need in Louisiana, along with a host of others.
