A third TSA employee has died of Covid-19 as confirmed cases of TSA screeners surge to over 400 across the country.
The Transportation Security Administration announced Atlanta TSA screener Dian Phipps as the latest death and 11 of his colleagues on passenger screening at Hartsfield-Jackson have also tested positive.
Phipps had worked for the TSA for 14 years.
The agency says 405 officers have now tested positive at 51 airports nationwide.
New York area airports have taken the brunt with a massive 155 positive cases.
New York JFK has the highest number in the country with 85, and the second-most virulent airport is Newark with 44 cases.
A further 23 cases were reported at New York LaGuardia.
A TSA canine officer who worked at Newark Airport died of the virus, as did an office based TSA manager in Arlington, TX.
Another covid-19 hotspot is Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport with 25 TSA employees infected and there are 40 cases at three airports across Florida – Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and Miami.
