MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Maini International Airport (MIA) tops the chart for the country as a breeding ground for the spread of Covid cases among Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers. Miami Airport has beaten other larger hubs like JFK in New York and Los Angeles in this case.
The recent Covid data shows that 515 people fell sick at MIA, of which 492 were TSA Screening Officers. The TSA began tracking COVID cases in March 2020.
Apart from Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando are in the top five that have been said to spread the infection like fire.
Upon being asked by CBS4 to the TSA behind its reason, a TSA spokesperson said that the numbers among their officers have from the beginning of the pandemic tended to track the spread in the communities in which they live. Furthermore, even though Miami and Fort Lauderdale have launched a few recent technologies to reduce touchpoints, the whole picture depicts otherwise.
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Hany Attallah at Jackson Memorial Hospital said it’s good that the TSA keeps track, but it doesn’t tell the whole picture. He also added: “We need to take a really close look at whether these people are vaccinated, the vaccines have been shown to be preventative, vaccine uptake has not been shown to be as great in Florida as other parts of the country.”
TSA’s attempt to impose such measures was hitherto applauded by Dr. Attallah, he also opined that there is always an inherent risk associated with travel. He further added on to say that we should look at the percentage in busier airports with more staff rather than just focusing on the number of people working for TSA.
The TSA also told CBS4 that travelers should not discontinue taking precautions, wear the mask, sanitize at regular intervals, and restrain from as many touchpoints as possible.
