[2020 Mar. contamination of 7.9%; most cases were asymptomatic. The main risk factor associated with contamination was the duration of daily commute (relative risk 1.02 [95% confidence interval, 1.002-1.041]). Conclusions: We observed asymptomatic contamination by COVID-19 among airport workers. Future research should contribute with knowledge for developing strategies that guarantee the protection of airport workers. strong class=”kwd-title” Keywords: COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, working conditions, airports, occupational health INTRODUCTION Worldwide government actions to counteract the transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and limit the Ropinirole conversation between people include a series of control steps such as Ropinirole the closure of educational institutions, trade blocks, air and land transport restrictions, and interpersonal isolation.1 Even though most companies Ropinirole and businesses were closed or implemented remote working strategies, workers of several sectors had to continue active, mainly in health care, food sales, banking services, public services, and transportation.2 Most infection prevention actions have focused on health care workers, since they constitute the first line of action in a pandemic.3,4 However, as the pandemic progressed, workers of other sectors such as fast food, restaurants, security, and transportation were identified as being at an increased risk of exposure to infected persons due to their large number of daily contacts.5 Airport personnel, in particular, perform a large number of activities where person-to-person contact and attention to the public are implicit, and cannot choose to switch to remote work.6 In this group of workers, at least 2 components have been identified to increase the risk of infections at airports.7 The first is related to the great mobility of passengers from different latitudes who remain concentrated for long periods in interchange areas. The second comprises the ignorance regarding the health status Ropinirole of travelers and the absence of devices that assess indicators suggestive of contamination, potentially favoring transmission. There are documented reports of computer virus transmission in airports: One of them refers to a series of cases of contamination by the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (MERS-CoV-2) at London Heathrow Airport in 2014.8 In this study, among the studied contacts, 5 people reported respiratory symptoms 14 Rabbit polyclonal to Hsp22 days after the flight in question. A measles outbreak occurred in the same 12 months on a trip from the Philippines to the United Kingdom, connecting in the Netherlands. The analysis identified secondary transmission in two workers at Amsterdam Schiphol International Airport and then in passengers who shared a flight from the Netherlands to the United Kingdom.9 During the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, airport workers also went through transmission outbreaks. In New Zealand, a series of cases compatible with influenza were identified in a flight from Mexico City to Auckland, connecting in Los Angeles.10 Five cases of H1N1 infection were confirmed in airport workers.11 In Colombia, the El Dorado Luis Carlos Galn Sarmiento International Airport is located in the capital Bogot and receives approximately 30 million passengers per year. Its operation is usually guaranteed by a team of 25 000 workers and 60 companies from different sectors. The work areas are divided into cargo, airline Ropinirole personnel, flight crews, immigration, cleaning, security, food providers, airport health service, as well as others.12 El Dorado International Airport is not only the most important air terminal in the country but also the third connection hub with the biggest traffic of passengers from Europe and North America.12 Consequently, this airport is crucial in determining the risk of transmission of diseases such as COVID-19. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the airport closed its commercial operations on March 22, 2020. However, it continued with the transportation of supplies and humanitarian flights,.