A control tower at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), one of the most air-trafficked in the United States, was forced to close several hours this Friday after a worker tested positive for coronavirus (COVID -19) this Thursday, according to the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA, in English).
The closure of the tower did not, however, lead to the closure of the airport as the rest of the staff working there was transferred to other facilities as part of a contingency plan that the FAA had already developed before the start of the epidemic.
The agency also explained that a cleaning team went to the control tower to disinfect the area.
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The text specifies that the last day that the control tower technician was in the facilities was on March 16, although he points out that “he did not enter the tower cabin.”
“Still, as a precautionary measure, we have scheduled a precautionary cleaning of the tower cabin, equipment room, administrative offices, and elevators to ensure a safe work environment for all employees,” he adds. the notice.
Earlier this week, a tower at Las Vegas McCarran Airport also had to close after an air traffic controller was diagnosed with coronavirus.
According to the latest figures provided by New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, the region registers 7,102 coronavirus positives, 2,950 more than the previous day, a strong increase that largely linked to the much greater number of tests being carried out. out every day.
More than half of the cases, 4,408, are concentrated in New York City, where there have been almost 2,000 new cases in the past 24 hours.
In total, New York State has recorded 35 deaths.
