ATLANTA — The main checkpoint for passengers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport was shut down Wednesday afternoon after a TSA agent tested positive for COVID-19 the same day.
A spokesperson for the TSA confirmed the news to 11Alive.
Officials told NBC News that the employee last worked a shift at the main checkpoint on Tuesday, from 3:30 a.m. until noon that day. The main checkpoint was then closed Wednesday for a deep cleaning, leaving passengers the only option to go through the north security checkpoint for the rest of the day, or until the deep cleaning is finished.
The north checkpoint is behind the American Airlines ticket counters.
Airport officials warned passengers to arrive to the airport in enough time, because the lines to get through security were getting backed up.
According to information provided by the TSA, there have been 29 total TSA screening and non-screening officers who have tested positive for the coronavirus at Hartsfield-Jackson throughout the pandemic. There have been 866 TSA employees overall who have tested positive, with five deaths.
The TSA reminded passengers who believe they may have come in contact with an infected person within the past 14 days should follow the CDC’s recommendations for travel-associated exposure.
Meanwhile, all TSA employees at the Atlanta airport who worked the same shift as the infected worker have been asked to quarantine.
The main checkpoint is expected to re-open Thursday morning.
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