Third TSA agent dies from coronavirus, another 405 test positive for illness

The coronavirus has claimed the life of a third Transportation Security Administration agent and has infected 405 others across more than 50 airports.

The agency on Tuesday identified Dian Phipps, an officer at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International, as its latest fatality linked to COVID-19. He’d been with the TSA for 14 years.

The Georgia airport is among the TSA’s hot spots for the virus, with a dozen officers testing positive for coronavirus.

Eleven of them did work involving passenger screenings, officials said in a press release.

“His co-workers over the years remember him as a kind and humble person who was always fun to be around, as well as being a talented singer,” the agency said in a statement to USA Today.

“We offer our heartfelt condolences to Dian’s family, friends and his TSA colleagues.”

JFK International, Newark Liberty International and LaGuardia airports account for all but three of the TSA coronavirus cases in New York, which is the epicenter of the outbreak in the United States. A total of 155 officers in the state have tested positive for the virus, 85 of them from JFK.

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport was also hard hit by the outbreak, with 25 workers infected. And three airports across Florida, including Miami International, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando International, have a combined total of 40 cases.

The TSA outbreak comes as the agency reported a record number of low travelers amid the pandemic. On Tuesday, 85,324 people went through airport security checkpoints compared to the 2.2 million flyers on the same day last year.