No intention by officials to close Mineta SJ International Airport
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Officials with Mineta San Jose International Airport have no intention to close the airport following the announcement that three Transportation Security Administration officers tested positive for the novel coronavirus, a spokesperson for the airport said Wednesday.
Spokesperson Scott Wintner made the statement late Wednesday ahead of a news briefing Thursday at the airport about the agents who tested
positive.
Speakers at the briefing will include San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, San Jose city manager Dave Sykes and Judy Ross, assistant director of aviation at the airport. Rachel Davis with Liccardo's office was unable to provide a comment Wednesday night.
Earlier Wednesday, South Bay elected leaders called on the TSA to release more information about the three officers.
The TSA in a written statement Tuesday night had said that the "officers are receiving medical care and all TSA employees they have come into contact with over the past 14 days are quarantined at home."
KTVU's Jesse Gary reported 42 TSA employees came into contact with the three infected employees. The three security agents all worked the evening shift and were stationed at a security checkpoint in Terminal B which services both Alaska Airlines and Southwest, TSA union officials said.
The statement did not say what interactions the officers may have had with members of the public, prompting the call for more information by leaders that included U.S. Reps. Anna Eshoo, Zoe Lofgren, Ro Khanna, and Jimmy Panetta, as well as Santa Clara County board president Cindy Chavez and Liccardo.
"We urge the TSA to immediately provide the public with information about the three employees who have tested positive for COVID-19, beginning with the operational posts held by the employees," the group said in a statement.
"If these employees were not in direct contact with travelers, we seek to reassure consumers. However, if the employees were posted at security checkpoints and had direct contact with travelers, we believe more information about posting locations and shift times should be made available to the public," the statement said.
The airport is following the Santa Clara County Public Health Department's guidances for limiting the spread of the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, and remains open.
"While we understand SCCPHD assesses the risk to be low of contracting COVID-19 through brief interactions, we also know the CDC is recommending a six-foot separation from infected persons," the politicians said.
"As such, we want to make sure that recent travelers through SJC know their potential risk of exposure and follow guidance by medical professionals to monitor their health and call a healthcare facility if they begin to exhibit symptoms," they said.