Three Tampa International Airport workers test positive for coronavirus

TAMPA — Three people who work at Tampa International Airport have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to an internal memo from airport CEO Joe Lopano.

The cases are unlikely to be connected, the memo said, because all the employees worked in different organizations.

One works for the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority, which oversees the airport, and two are employees of airport tenants. But the email did not say which tenants. The Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Aviation Administration operate there as do private restaurant, retail and other businesses. The memo was first obtained by WFTS-Ch. 28.

The Aviation Authority was informed of the positive tests on Tuesday. Some employees learned they had been exposed that day, while others found out when Lopano issued the memo Wednesday, said airport spokesperson Emily Nipps.

The airport has disinfected the areas where the people worked and is working with the Florida Department of Health to notify those who might have been exposed.

“The news of these cases is not unexpected,” the memo said. “TPA has more than 10,000 people working for all the companies that do business here. Statistically, we can assume that some of these employees will become infected with COVID-19 as the virus spreads and testing becomes more available.”

The memo said the airport has already taken measures to decrease the risk of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Many employees, including 75 percent of the Aviation Authority team, are working remotely. Those still working at the airport were instructed to practice social distancing and some workers were put on alternating shifts. The airport’s shops and restaurants have also reduced their hours.

Tampa International has seen a 90 percent decrease in business over the last month, Nipps said.

“We’re seeing only a couple thousand passengers a day and overall there are far fewer people at the airport than there were a month ago," she said.

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