State Police Transport PPE From New Bedford to Martha’s Vineyard

The Massachusetts State Police Marine Unit on Thursday transported a shipment of personal protective equipment from the New Bedford State Pier to Martha’s Vineyard.

The gear will be distributed to first responders and public safety personnel on the front lines of the coronavirus fight on the island, Massachusetts State Police said. Troopers delivered the equipment from the state stockpile and delivered it to New Bedford in a truck where the equipment was loaded aboard an MSP vessel.

Around two weeks ago, the island received a much larger shipment when the Massachusetts National Guard delivered personal protective equipment in an order placed through the Massachusetts Emergency Managment Administration, or MEMA.

That shipment consisted of 900 gowns, 400 N95 masks, 400 surgical masks, 50 goggles, 50 disposable face shields, and many boxes of nitrile gloves and hand sanitizer, according to the Vineyard Gazette. The Guard delivered those supplies through the Steamship Authority, and the order was reportedly large enough to take up three-quarters of the luggage cart.

The National Guard also delivered and set up a staff isolation tent at the Edgartown House of Correction. Statewide, jails are using such tents to screen employees for COVID-19 before they start their shifts.