A contract medical examination at Los Angeles International Airport tested positive for the coronavirus, the Department of Homeland Security said on Wednesday.
The worker, whose last shift at the airport was on February 21, is self-quarantined at home under medical supervision with mild symptoms, said DHS. The worker’s immediate family is also under quarantine, the report said.
The county supervisory board and health department declared a public and local health emergency in response to the growing number of cases in California, including six new cases in Los Angeles County.
The first Californian with coronavirus died on Wednesday in a hospital in Roseville, in northern California, officials said. The 71-year-old man was reportedly exposed to the virus while cruising in Mexico last month.
153 cases of coronavirus have been reported nationwide starting Wednesday, according to Johns Hopkins University. This includes 29 cases in California, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Eleven people died in the United States, including 10 in Washington State and the passenger of a cruise ship in California.
LAX is one of 11 American airports where inbound international travelers are screened for coronavirus. DHS contract officers ask travelers if they have visited affected countries, such as China, South Korea and Italy; if they have symptoms of acute respiratory illness and check their temperature.
Heather Swift, DHS spokesperson, said in a statement that the LAX contractor started experiencing cold symptoms on February 29 and received a coronavirus test, which returned positive. DHS stated that it was working with its subcontractors to communicate with colleagues in the filter.
“We are told that the individual was wearing all the appropriate protective equipment and that he had taken the necessary protections on the job,” she said. “At the moment, we do not know if this case is the result of the spread of the community or through their medical screening work.”
Swift said no passenger who had been tested at LAX had tested positive for the coronavirus.
“It is an evolving situation,” she said.