2 TSA Agents From BWI Test Positive For Coronavirus: Official

LINTHICUM, MD — Two officers at the Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport tested positive for the new coronavirus earlier this month, according to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). They last worked at the airport before March 15.

The TSA has released a list of airports where TSA agents tested positive for the virus in the past two weeks.

BWI is not on the tracker as of March 29, but airports that are include JFK, Detroit, Salt Lake City, Atlanta, Newark, LaGuardia, Miami, Indianapolis, Seattle and Boise, among others.

"This information is being posted so we can be transparent with the traveling public in case they think they may have come in contact with an officer during that 14-day window," Lisa Farbstein, spokeswoman for the TSA, said in an email to Patch.

After two weeks, "an individual is removed from the tracker because they no longer pose a threat to the traveling public," Farbstein said.

Since the workers at BWI are not listed, the last day they were on the job was before March 15.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan limited access to the BWI terminal March 19 to slow the spread of the virus. Ticketed passengers and badged workers are the only ones who can enter the terminal at BWI, except for those assisting passengers with disabilities.

Fewer people have been traveling as the coronavirus pandemic has been keeping many at home. Over the past week, the TSA reported record lows for passengers going through security checkpoints. Agents screened 184,027 passengers at security checkpoints nationwide Saturday, the lowest number screened by the TSA in the past decade, according to Farbstein. More than 2.17 million passengers were screened nationwide that same date last year, the TSA reported.

TSA agents and BWI management have made efforts to stop the spread of the virus.

To prevent coronavirus from spreading, BWI officials say they have added custodial staff, used hospital-grade disinfectants and increased the frequency of cleaning high-traffic areas.

Each TSA officer wears nitrile gloves while conducting screenings.

"Travelers may request new gloves to be used during the screening process," Farbstein said, so germs do not spread between surfaces.

The TSA also relaxed its rules on fluids in mid March and now allows travelers to bring liquid hand sanitizers up to 12 ounces in carry-on bags. Typically, the limit is 3.4 ounces for liquids. However, the TSA reported these hand sanitizers will require separate screening.

For those who are traveling, the TSA recommends washing hands multiple times. Farbstein suggests washing hands before and after going through checkpoints and even made a video to show people how it's done: