New England Patriots Plane Delivering 1.2 Million Face Masks

BOSTON — Pilots helming the New England Patriots' private plane are delivering nearly 2 million sorely needed face masks to the United States from China to bolster the fight against the new coronavirus.

The plane is set to land at Logan Airport Thursday with 1.2 million N95 masks. There are another 500,000 masks set for another delivery, according to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the story.

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and his family paid $2 million, or about half the cost, for the masks, which are a crucial piece of personal protection equipment to shield people from infection.

The National Guard will bring the masks to a Marlborough stockpile, Politico reported. Some 300,000 masks will then be sent to New York, which is being overwhelmed by the pandemic.

Gov. Charlie Baker, who helped organize the delivery, lauded the team's championship effort.

"No days off," Baker tweeted. "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."

To avoid a quarantine, the plane's crew was not allowed to leave the craft while in Shenzhen, China.