FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots’ home stadium has become a coronavirus testing site. The drive-thru testing site opened Sunday in the parking lot of Gillette Stadium.
The Foxborough site is designated specifically for police officers, firefighters, and other first responders and will be able to test up to 200 people a day for free.
Republican Governor Charlie Baker said after touring the testing site Sunday that similar facilities will be also established in other parts of the state. One is already operational at a former horseracing track in Boston.
A field hospital is also being set up on the military base on Cape Cod to complement ones at an arena in Worcester and the convention center in Boston, the governor said.
The Patriots are stepping up in other ways amid the coronavirus pandemic, too. Owner Robert Kraft used the team plane to deliver much-needed personal protective equipment (PPE) from China to Boston on Thursday of last week.
"In a show of solidarity with nearby New York, which has become the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States, Robert Kraft, with the blessing of Gov. Baker, offered to provide the Empire State with 300,000 masks," The Patriots said. "The remaining 500,000 masks needed to complete Gov. Baker's order for 1.7 million are scheduled to arrive in Massachusetts in the coming days."
The Patriots are encouraging donations to the Patriots Foundation to help their efforts in providing PPE to health care workers and first responders. The team says 100% of donations will go directly towards the purchase of PPE supplies.
There are 12,500 confirmed cases in Mass., and 231 deaths; 1,877 of the confirmed cases are in Boston, Mayor Marty Walsh said Sunday.
At NEWS CENTER Maine, we’re focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the illness. To see our full coverage, visit our coronavirus section, here: /coronavirus
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