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Coronavirus confirmed on offshore platforms in Gulf

While an offshore rig might seem like an unlikely place for the virus, workers share close quarters and frequently touch surfaces including handrails.

Credit: AP

FILE - This April 13, 2007, file photo, shows a natural gas platform off the coast of Fort Morgan, Ala. The federal agencies that make and enforce offshore oil and gas leases will encourage new wells in shallow Gulf of Mexico waters by allowing some reduced-royalty or even royalty-free production if owners can prove they need it. Officials say $20 billion worth of oil and gas may go untapped without changes described in a report issued Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019. (AP Photo/Rob Carr, File)

NEW ORLEANS — The new coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has been confirmed on more than two dozen people working on oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.

Nola.com reports that the Coast Guard says 26 offshore workers in the Gulf had tested positive for the virus as of last week.

Only seven of the 680 platforms in the Gulf had been affected. A spokesman says BP is among the companies that has had offshore workers test positive for the coronavirus.

While an offshore rig might seem like an unlikely place for the virus, workers share close quarters and frequently touch surfaces including handrails.

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