TSA Agents, CDC Screeners Demand More Effective Masks to Protect Against Coronavirus

After airport security screeners called for the government to provide N95 respirators instead of surgical masks, the CDC has begun to make them “optional” for those employees.

  • By Haley Samsel
  • Mar 11, 2020

Agents for the Transportation Security Administration are concerned about protecting themselves from contracting COVID-19, leading union representatives to push for more effective masks for airport security screeners.

The AFGE TSA Council 100, which represents about 45,000 TSA officers, sent an email on Tuesday to TSA Administrator David Pekoske to supply N95 respirator masks to the agency’s employees, Reuters reported.

Those concerns were escalated by reports last week that at least two Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at Los Angeles International Airport tested positive for the coronavirus.

As of now, agents have the option to wear surgical masks, but those masks are not produced to block small particles that could transmit the coronavirus, according to Reuters. The N95 respirators, union president Hydrick Thomas said, can protect wearers from smaller pathogens that spread COVID-19.

“Everything we do is for the safety of the passengers, but at the same time you have to safeguard yourself,” Thomas told Reuters.

One CDC official told Reuters that surgical masks, which were previously recommended to TSA officers, “won’t protect” screeners from getting the virus.

“They just protect us from infecting someone else,” the CDC medical official, who was involved in airport screening, said. “We want to know why we can’t wear N-95 masks. It’s crazy … You might as well have a tissue over your face for all the good it will do.”

In response to the report, the CDC released new guidelines to make the N95 masks optional for those screeners. There are two types of N95 respirators, according to Occupational Health & Safety magazine: surgical and industrial.

Surgical N95 respirators are designed for healthcare workers and fit tightly around the nose and mouth. If worn correctly, they can block at least 95 percent of small airborne particles. However, healthcare professionals are legally required to undergo annual fit tests for these masks, and they are not recommended for the general population.

Industrial respirators are designed to reduce the wearer’s exposure against certain airborne particles and aerosols that do not have oil. Most CDC screeners have been using the surgical respirators.

The federal government is addressing a global shortage, caused by the rapid purchase of the respirators by non-healthcare professionals, by working with manufacturers to produce 500 million respirators in the next six to 12 months. About 13 million are on hand as of last week, according to Reuters.

About the Author

Haley Samsel is an Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

Featured

  • The Future of Access Control: Cloud-Based Solutions for Safer Workplaces

    Access controls have revolutionized the way we protect our people, assets and operations. Gone are the days of cumbersome keychains and the security liabilities they introduced, but it’s a mistake to think that their evolution has reached its peak. Read Now

  • A Look at AI

    Large language models (LLMs) have taken the world by storm. Within months of OpenAI launching its AI chatbot, ChatGPT, it amassed more than 100 million users, making it the fastest-growing consumer application in history. Read Now

  • First, Do No Harm: Responsibly Applying Artificial Intelligence

    It was 2022 when early LLMs (Large Language Models) brought the term “AI” into mainstream public consciousness and since then, we’ve seen security corporations and integrators attempt to develop their solutions and sales pitches around the biggest tech boom of the 21st century. However, not all “artificial intelligence” is equally suitable for security applications, and it’s essential for end users to remain vigilant in understanding how their solutions are utilizing AI. Read Now

  • Improve Incident Response With Intelligent Cloud Video Surveillance

    Video surveillance is a vital part of business security, helping institutions protect against everyday threats for increased employee, customer, and student safety. However, many outdated surveillance solutions lack the ability to offer immediate insights into critical incidents. This slows down investigations and limits how effectively teams can respond to situations, creating greater risks for the organization. Read Now

  • Security Today Announces 2025 CyberSecured Award Winners

    Security Today is pleased to announce the 2025 CyberSecured Awards winners. Sixteen companies are being recognized this year for their network products and other cybersecurity initiatives that secure our world today. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden Door Controls is pleased to announce that, in response to soaring customer demand, it has expanded its range of ValueWave™ no-touch switches to include a narrow (slimline) version with manual override. This override button is designed to provide additional assurance that the request to exit switch will open a door, even if the no-touch sensor fails to operate. This new slimline switch also features a heavy gauge stainless steel faceplate, a red/green illuminated light ring, and is IP65 rated, making it ideal for indoor or outdoor use as part of an automatic door or access control system. ValueWave™ no-touch switches are designed for easy installation and trouble-free service in high traffic applications. In addition to this narrow version, the CM-221 & CM-222 Series switches are available in a range of other models with single and double gang heavy-gauge stainless steel faceplates and include illuminated light rings.

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.