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    1. Airlines

    United Flight Arrives with Thousands of N95 Masks for N.J., N.Y. Health Care Workers

    April 17, 2020

    By Noah Cohen

    Source NJ Advance Media Group, Edison, N.J. (TNS)

    A shipment of N95 masks for health care workers in New York and New Jersey arrived on a United Airlines flight at Newark airport on Thursday as hospitals face a surge in coronavirus patients in the region.

    The 50,000 N95 masks were imported from China earlier this week through a non-profit group, MedShare, that sources medical supplies for communities in need, according to a news release from United.

    Airlink, another non-profit, worked with United to arrange the flight, which touched down shortly after 5 p.m. at Newark Liberty Airport, the airline said. The equipment will be deployed to New Jewish Home, BronxCare Health Center and the Montefiore Medical Center in New York as well to MedShare’s Secaucus location for further distribution.

    “Yet again, United Airlines delivered humanitarian aid and support to crisis-hit communities when it counts,” Airlink CEO Steve Smith said in a statement. “Airlink and United have successfully worked together on countless disaster relief missions across the world, and it’s great that we could be part of this mission to help the people of New York City and New Jersey.”

    While commercial airlines have seen dramatic declines in passengers, United said it was flying more than 150 cargo-only segments each week between six U.S. hubs and cities in Asia, Australia, Europe, the Caribbean and the Middle East.

    United, which has a Newark hub, has transported about 1.3 million pounds of medical equipment since March 19, according to the airline.

    New York and New Jersey lead the nation in confirmed cases of the coronavirus. In the Garden State, officials on Thursday said there were at least 75,317 cases of the virus with 3,518 deaths.

    If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter.

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    Noah Cohen may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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    ©2020 NJ Advance Media Group, Edison, N.J.

    Visit NJ Advance Media Group, Edison, N.J. at www.nj.com

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