(CNN) – Days before the holiday weekend of July 4, the main security checkpoint at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world’s busiest airport, has been closed for cleaning after an employee tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
TSA spokesman Mark Howell said the Main Domestic checkpoint has reopened some lanes as of Wednesday night, but “it probably won’t open fully until tomorrow,” after a deep cleanup.
All passengers are currently being screened at a smaller checkpoint, T North. Another smaller checkpoint at the airport, T South, has been closed due to a construction project.
Howell said the situation is causing longer than usual lines at the T North checkpoint.
Because the checkpoint is expected to reopen on Thursday, the situation is not expected to affect vacation travelers this weekend.
Howell said TSA expects to monitor some 27,000 people at the airport on Thursday and Friday, which is about 50% more than it has seen recently. The agency is bringing more employees to work over the holiday weekend due to higher volumes.
More than 860 TSA employees nationwide have tested positive for the coronavirus, including at least 29 at Atlanta airport, 28 of whom are examiners.
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