Head of Port Authority in N.Y. Tests Positive for the Coronavirus

An aircraft taking off at LaGuardia last week

The head of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the region’s airports including JFK and LaGuardia, tested positive for the novel coronavirus, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Monday at a news conference.

Rick Cotton, the Port Authority’s executive director, has been overseeing the agency’s response to the outbreak and could have been exposed to the virus at work.

“He has been at the airports, obviously, when many people were coming back with the virus,” the governor said at the news conference.

Cuomo said that Mr. Cotton, who has no symptoms, would self-quarantine at home and continue to work remotely. Members of his senior staff will be tested given that they worked in close proximity with him.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey operates the region’s major airports and bus terminals as well as bridges and tunnels.  The list includes La Guardia, Kennedy International, and Newark Liberty International airports and the Port Authority Bus Midtown Terminal in Manhattan as well as several commuter railroads including Metro North and the Long Island Rail Road.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)