Customs and Border Protection agents quarantined for coronavirus exposure at DC airport

Five Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Dulles International Airport have been ordered to self-quarantine due to possible coronavirus exposure.

The information was provided late Tuesday during an official briefing for members of Congress, Just the News has learned.

One CBP National Targeting Center (NTC) officer was also ordered to self-quarantine. The NTC center in Sterling, Virginia, works to “catch travelers and detect cargo that threaten our country’s security.”

All six CBP officers have reportedly been told to isolate themselves until March 14.

Several additional coronavirus deaths were reported in the U.S. late Tuesday. Most of the fatalities to date have occurred among the elderly in Washington State in nursing homes and long-term care facilities. Officials say there have been no serious cases or deaths reported among young Americans.

The latest update provided to Congress also adds more than 100 new confirmed cases in the U.S.

Here are the numbers provided to Congress late Tuesday:

• There are 755 U.S. confirmed cases of the virus (up from 647)
• 35 states plus Washington D.C. have confirmed cases of COVID-19
• 30 U.S. deaths have been reported (up from 25):
• 25 deaths are in Washington state (22 reported to Congress plus 3 more reported by local officials Tuesday night)
• 2 deaths have been reported in Florida, two in California and one in South Dakota

In the Washinton DC area, members of Congress were told of six confirmed cases and two “presumptive positive” cases. They included:

• 4 in Montgomery County, Maryland
• 1 in the City of Fairfax, Virginia
• 1 in Fairfax County, Virginia
• 2 presumptive positive cases in Washington D.C.

Since contagious illnesses spread in an exponential fashion, and since most cases have presumably not yet been identified in the U.S., officials say there will be an exponential increase in reported numbers in the near future. 

Experts say the vast majority of people who get coronavirus will have mild or no symptoms. Among those who become ill, almost all of them recover. The elderly and sick remain at highest risk.