US airport security screeners union has requested TSA to provide better masks for protection against the Covid-19 coronavirus. Credit: Scott Beale.

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US airport security screeners’ union has reportedly asked the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to provide better masks for protection against the Covid-19 coronavirus.

The union, named the AFGE TSA Council 100, sent an email to TSA Administrator David Pekoske on 10 March, seeking masks for its workers.

The union represents approximately 45,000 transportation security officers stationed at US airports.

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Reuters quoted union president Hydrick Thomas as saying: “Everything we do is for the safety of the passengers, but at the same time you have to safeguard yourself.”

The union officials stated that the request was rejected by Pekoske, adding that the TSA will adhere to the workforce protection guidelines given by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

In other news, TSA has reported that three officers stationed at Mineta San Jose International Airport are confirmed to have been infected by Covid-19.

Los Angeles Times quoted a TSA statement that reads: “The officers are receiving medical care, and all TSA employees they have come in contact with over the past 14 days are quarantined at home.

“Screening checkpoints remain open, and the agency is working with the CDC, as well as the California Department of Public Health and the Santa Clara County Public Health Department, to monitor the situation as well as the health and safety of our employees and the traveling public.”

In addition, two screeners at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) have tested positive for the coronavirus.

Two British Airways baggage handlers working at London Heathrow Airport, UK, have also tested positive.