TSA screener at Hartsfield-Jackson tests positive for coronavirus

The screening officer last worked at the Atlanta airport at the international terminal on the morning of March 7.

The officer is one of seven TSA screeners at airports around the country who has tested positive for COVID-19. Others are at Orlando International, Fort Lauderdale and San Jose, Calif. airports.

The TSA, or Transportation Security Administration, said the officer is quarantined at home and receiving medical care.

TSA employees who came into contact with the officer during the past 14 days are being notified, the agency said.

The checkpoint at the international terminal is closed while it was being sanitized Monday, according to Hartsfield-Jackson. Passengers were re-routed to international arrivals-level screening while the departures-level screening on the upper level was being sanitized.

The American Federation of Government Employees union, which represents TSA officers, last week issued a statement calling for N95 masks and other protective equipment to protect officers.

TSA officers are constantly in contact with the traveling public, including international passengers, the union noted.

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