Another TSA screener at Hartsfield-Jackson tests positive for coronavirus

File photo of security lines at the Atlanta airport.

Credit: Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Credit: Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images

File photo of security lines at the Atlanta airport.

A second security screening officer at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

The TSA said the screener last worked at the Terminal North checkpoint at the Atlanta airport on March 16 on a shift from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

The agency said the officer is quarantined and resting at home, and employees who came into contact with the officer in the past 14 days were notified.

Security screening remains open, and TSA said is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Clayton County Board of Health to monitor the situation.

Travelers or employees who believe they may have been in contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, should consult with their healthcare provider, according to TSA.

The news comes after the agency said earlier this week that the first screener at Hartsfield-Jackson had tested positive and had last worked at the international terminal on the morning of March 7.

So far, there have been 14 screeners testing positive for the coronavirus at airports across the country, according to the TSA's latest numbers.

The American Federation of Government Employees union, which represents TSA officers, last week issued a statement calling for N95 masks and other protective equipment to protect officers.

TSA officers are constantly in contact with the traveling public, including international passengers, the union noted.

Amid a decline in traffic, the Atlanta airport earlier this week closed the North and South terminal checkpoints, directing passengers to the main checkpoint.

The airport said it has lengthened queues to allow passengers more distance while in line.

TSA also said this week it would close the main security checkpoint from 11:30 p.m.-4 a.m.

The main checkpoint was previously open 24 hours, and had been used overnight by workers headed to late night or early morning shifts. TSA said it will screen workers who have a need to enter the sterile area.