Authorities say five employees of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s hurricane hunter base in Lakeland have tested positive for COVID-19.
The areas of the Aircraft Operations Center where the employees worked were closed for cleaning on June 9. The employees last worked in the center between June 3 and June 8.
Spokesman Jonathan Shannon says they've notified anyone who was known to have been in contact with the employees and those people have been asked to self-quarantine for 14 days.
The aircraft fly into storms during the Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1 and lasts through November.
