(CNN) A coronavirus outbreak has spread through a federal law enforcement training facility in South Carolina prompting the national employees union to call for a halt to training. At least 23 students and faculty have tested positive at Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Charleston, where Customs and Border Protection personnel were training, according to the National Treasury Employees Union. On Friday, the union, which represents thousands of CBP employees, officially requested that the agency immediately send home any employees currently in training, as well as test employees for Covid-19 prior to the departure. "The FLETC Charleston facility is no longer safe for trainees under the current circumstances," said union National President Tony Reardon in a statement to CNN, adding that the union learned of the "alarming outbreak" earlier this week. Shutting down training would allow for an evaluation and to avoid recurrence, said Reardon.

Source: CNN July 17, 2020 22:52 UTC