A Million N95 Masks Are Coming From China---on the Patriots' Plane

[Fla Dem]

Andrew Beaton 2 hrs ago

At 3:38 a.m. Wednesday morning, the New England Patriots’ team plane departed from an unusual locale: Shenzhen, China. On board the Boeing 767, in the cargo hold that used to be home to Tom Brady’s duffel bags, were 1.2 million N95 masks bound for the U.S.

Video and pictures of the event show workers in masks and full-body suits at Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport loading box after box of the scarce and valuable personal protective equipment onto a red, white and blue plane emblazoned with the Patriots logo and “6X CHAMPIONS.”

The plane was permitted to be on the ground in China for a maximum of three hours, people familiar with the matter said, and the crew was required to stay on the plane while a ground crew loaded the cargo. It took 2 hours and 57 minutes. On Thursday, that plane will land somewhere more familiar: Boston Logan International Airport.

The story of this remarkable delivery, based on documents and interviews with people involved in the operation, is a window into the frenzied scramble by states to acquire life-saving equipment needed to battle the coronavirus pandemic. The process involves not just tracking down goods, but also tapping intermediaries and calling in favors to navigate a dense global bureaucracy that the pandemic has virtually paralyzed.

<<<Break>>>

The plane headed back to Alaska, and then Boston. But that wasn’t the last stop for some of the masks. Robert Kraft, despite his franchise’s historical acrimony with the New York Jets, has always held a soft spot for New York. He attended Columbia University, has a residence in the city and said he was especially moved when the two teams played in the first weekend of games after the 9/11 attacks, when the Patriots were led out of the tunnel by a Patriots’ player whose family members served in the New York City Fire Department and were being cheered on the field.

Kraft added that he has been moved by the leadership of Gov. Andrew Cuomo over the last several weeks. And that gave him an idea. So, with the agreement of Gov. Baker, they pledged to send 300,000 of the masks on to New York.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/a-million-n95-masks-are-coming-from-china-on-the-patriots-plane/ar-BB1242KH?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=U452DHP

[Fla Dem]

1. Great story. Private sector working with government to achieve a wonderful result.

[blueinredohio]

2. Make sure he delivers them to the states not to federal government.

[Fla Dem]

4. If you read the story they were working with the Governor of Massachusetts and Mass General Hospital

The effort began with Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, who was concerned about the state’s mask supply and, two weeks ago, believed he had struck a deal to acquire more than a million of them from a collection of Chinese manufacturers. But officials had to figure out how to get them shipped out of China at a time when unusual cargo shipments out of the country can be especially tricky.

“I just have to get them here,” he told a longtime friend.

That longtime friend was Jonathan Kraft, Robert Kraft’s son, who holds two jobs that became highly relevant to the proceedings. Jonathan Kraft is the chairman of the board at Massachusetts General Hospital, one of the country’s most renowned facilities. He’s also the Patriots’ president, and the team had something it thought might be of help: a giant airplane.

[uponit7771]

3. K&R, Trumps screw up are on purpose !! If it was random stupidity he'd do somethings in our favor

Last edited Thu Apr 2, 2020, 10:54 AM - Edit history (1)

[Fla Dem]

5. I don't understand your response. Who would do something in our favor?

[uponit7771]

6. Trump

[crickets]

7. Way to get it done, people. Fantastic. nt

[Totally Tunsie]

8. Take note, Patriot critics. Bob Kraft does a lot of good in this world.

I seem to recall the Pats' plane also making supply drop-offs to Puerto Rico when they were in dire need. This is not new to them. When Kraft's wife Myra was alive, her charitable contributions, both in work and in funding, were legendary.

As long as Patriot Nation is alive, good deeds will continue.

[lostnfound]

9. Who paid for the avionics upgrade at Wright Pat, and how much did they charge?

“By last Friday night, the crew had moved to Wilmington, Ohio, because the plane needed an avionics upgrade for the international trip.”

What kind of avionics did they get? An IRU maybe? Just asking.