The FAA briefly halted air traffic in NYC area after an air traffic employee tested positive for COVID-19

The Federal Aviation Administration briefly halted departures from New York and Philadelphia airports after a trainee at the New York Air Route Traffic Control Center in Long Island tested positive for COVID-19 today. The person had not been at the facility since March 17th, and the FAA is sanitizing affected areas.

As of 2:45 PM ET, the agency had lifted the ground stop order, according to the Associated Press.

The Long Island center, which primarily handles high-altitude, cross-country flights, remained open. But the FAA rerouted flights “as part of a longstanding contingency plan to ensure continued operations.”

The FAA said in a statement that it is “working with local health officials and employee representatives to determine how...

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