The Massachusetts National Guard is activating up to 2,000 members to assist the state in its response to the coronavirus, an official confirmed Thursday.

The activation takes effect Thursday, said Don Veitch, public information officer of the Massachusetts National Guard.

Veitch said he didn’t know exactly what the guardsmen will assist the state with, where their efforts will be concentrated or how many of the 2,000 will be called upon at first. Veitch said he expects to learn more about the assignment Friday.

National Guard members will be tasked with helping state agencies with equipment, logistics, warehousing and related duties, Gov. Charlie Baker said in a statement Thursday afternoon. He said the move will bolster the supply chain to help the state fight the outbreak.

“Activating the National Guard will help support our administration’s efforts to keep residents safe and secure during the COVID-19 outbreak,” said Baker, a Republican. “The expertise of the Massachusetts National Guard will benefit our communities with logistical support and other assistance as we continue to respond to this crisis.”

Municipalities and state agencies should submit requests for support to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, Baker said.

An activation of the Guard does not mean the state is in lockdown, but rather it is a response to the growing need for manpower across the state as the virus continues to spread.

The Massachusetts National Guard, which has 8,200 members, has previously assisted the state with other emergencies, including the response to the Merrimack Valley explosions that displaced hundreds and winter storms that wreaked havoc in Boston in 2015. The guard members were also called to assist the state with the response to the Cape Cod tornado in July that left tens of thousands without power.

More than two dozen states have activated assistance from guardsmen, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. The chief of the National Guard Bureau said earlier Thursday that altogether, 2,050 soldiers and airmen had been activated nationwide, separate from those expected to be activated in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts is now up to 328 coronavirus cases, according to the state Department of Public Health.

After the outbreaks were declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, Massachusetts officials took steps to reduce crowds across the state. Baker banned crowds of 25 or more people Sunday in one of several executive orders issued in response to the global public health crisis.

Health care workers have sounded the alarm about the shortage of testing supplies, gloves, face masks and other equipment for weeks.

Donna Kelly-Williams, a nurse and the president of the Massachusetts Nurses Association, sent a letter to Baker Wednesday warning that tests were not widely available and that facilities have recommended that nurses reuse Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) without taking the proper safety requirements because they do not have enough supplies.

“Nurses continue to be concerned about capacity to treat the potential influx of individuals with COVID-19,” Kelly-Williams wrote. “After years of closures of beds, units and hospitals, and reductions in frontline health care staff, hospitals lack the space and staff to deal with an unprecedented outbreak of this highly contagious virus. This puts patients, health care workers, and the general public at risk.”

Some drive-up sites have launched to test patients who have symptoms and were in contact with someone who has coronavirus or who traveled to a country severely affected by the outbreak, but they often require appointments and a doctor’s note. The association called for more drive-up testing throughout the state.

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