TSA shuts 2 checkpoints at Sky Harbor due to short staff

PHOENIX (AP) — The federal Transportation Security Administration on Friday temporarily closed two of four security checkpoints in Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport’s largest terminal due to staffing shortages because of COVID-19 during the omicron wave. Airport and TSA officials said in a joint statement that the closures of the Terminal Four’s B and D checkpoints could extend wait times for departing passengers up to 30 minutes. Arizona on Friday reported 30 additional COVID-19-related deaths as virus-related hospitalizations inched upward. The state also reported nearly 14, 900 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases as testing surged. Arizona’s seven-day rolling average of new cases tripled during the past two weeks.