NEW ORLEANS — A TSA agent working to screen travelers at the New Orleans Airport has tested positive for COVID-19, officials announced Thursday.
The unidentified employee is one of the Transportation Security Administration's screening officers at Armstrong International. Their last day was March 19 at the main security checkpoint.
TSA officials say travelers and employees who think they might have been in contact with the agent should contact their health care provider.
It's the first known case of the new, potentially deadly respiratory disease at New Orleans' international airport.
"The TSA is working with the CDC and state and local health departments to monitor local situations as well as the health and safety of our employees and the traveling public," the agency's website reads.
According to the agency's online map, 29 TSA screening officers across the country have tested positive for the new virus in the past two weeks. Eight non-screening TSA employees have also tested positive.
Louisiana's number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise rapidly, with New Orleans quickly becoming the epicenter of the virus in the South. As of Thursday morning, 65 people have died and there are nearly 1,800 confirmed cases across the state.
The average age of fatal COVID-19 cases in Louisiana is 69.
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