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NOAA's Hurricane Hunter Base In Lakeland Hit With COVID-19

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
STEPHANIE COLOMBINI/WUSF PUBLIC MEDIA

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.

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