500 TSA staff in US airports test positive for COVID-19

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

ANKARA (AA) - The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said Wednesday that 500 employees who work in airports tested positive for coronavirus.

The TSA said 208 employees have recovered, while four have died.

Most of the cases were recorded at airports in the New York metropolitan area, according to the agency's data.

John F. Kennedy International Airport has the highest number of employees infected with 105, followed by Newark Liberty International Airport and LaGuardia Airport with 56 and 32, respectively.

Outside New York, the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport has the highest tally with 27 workers.

The agency said the figures "do not include non-airport TSA employees or contractors who have had limited interaction with the public."

The US continues to lead in COVID-19 cases and deaths worldwide. Data from Johns Hopkins University in the state of Maryland counted more than 1 million infections and nearly 60,000 deaths in the country, with almost 117,000 recoveries.