TSA officer from McCarran airport tests positive for coronavirus

A Transportation Security Administration officer working at Terminal 3 of McCarran International Airport tested positive for COVID-19.

The officer last worked at McCarran during the morning shift March 12, according to the TSA.

“The individual is receiving medical attention,” the TSA said in an emailed statement. “TSA employees who work the same shift and may have come in contact with the officer who tested positive during the past 14 days have been alerted about the situation so that they can take action as appropriate.”

The security screening checkpoints remain open at Terminal 3, and the TSA is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Southern Nevada Health District to monitor the situation.

Because the officer was in a position that has contact with the public, anyone who traveled through Terminal 3 the morning of March 12 or before and thinks they may have been exposed is asked to contact their doctor, the TSA said.

Anyone who might have come into contact with the TSA officer would almost be out of the 14-day recommended quarantine period since the officer last worked.

TSA has authorized front-line personnel whose security screening tasks require them to routinely come into close contact with the traveling public to wear surgical masks if they choose to do so. All TSA employees are also being encouraged to regularly wash their hands and cover their coughs.

All TSA frontline personnel are required to wear nitrile gloves when screening an individual or their property, adding an additional layer of protection.

Any swabs utilized as part of a screening procedure — checkpoint and checked baggage — will not be reused for multiple passengers.

TSA will continue to follow guidance issued by the CDC and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration regarding workforce protection.

Passengers are being allowed to bring liquid hand sanitizer containers up to 12 ounces — instead of the standard allowance of 3.4 ounces of liquids — in carry-on bags until further notice.

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.