Coronavirus Contact Tracing Ramps Up Effort To Mitigate Community Spread

Howard Monroe reports.

TRAVEL ADVISORY.WE HAVEN'T HEARD BACK.UKEE?STEPHANIE, KEEP US POSTED,THANK YOU.MEANTIME OFF INITIALS NEWJERSEY AND PHILADELPHIA ARERAMP UP THEIR CONTACT TRACINGEFFORTS, "EYEWITNESS NEWS"REPORTER HOWARD MONROE WAS INCENTER CITY WITH A LOOK ATWHAT CONTACT TRACING ENTAILS.HOWARD?UKEE, THE IDEA OF CONTACTTRACE SOMETHING NOTIFYINGSOMEONE THAT SOMEONE WHO THEYHAVE RECENTLY COME IN CONTACTWITH HAVE SINCE TEST POSITIVEFOR CORONAVIRUS.NOW, LEADERS WITH THE BLACKDOCTORS COVID-19 CONSORTIUMCONTINUE TO TEST PEOPLE OFFREE TESTING SITE WAS SET UPOUTSIDE THE MONUMENTAL BAPTISTCHURCH IN WEST PHILLY THISAFTERNOON.SINCE MID-ANN THEY TESTED6,000 PEOPLE.ALSO ASKED PEOPLE WHO THEYHAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITHWITHIN THE DAYS PRIOR SO THEYCAN DO CONTACT TRACING WHENTHEY GET A POSITIVE CASE.CITY HEALTH OFFICIALS AREPARTNERING WITH PENN MEDICINEAND PLAN TO HIRE 83 CONTACTTRACERS, BY JULY 6TH.NEW JERSEY OFFICIALS AREPARTNERING WITH RUTGERSUNIVERSITY AND NOON HIRE 1,000TRACERS.OFFICIALS IN BOTH AREAS SAYTHEIR TRACING TEAMS WILL BEDIFFERS.SAYS WHEN MITIGATING COMMUNITYSPREAD CONTACT TRACING ISPROBABLY MORE IMPORTANT THANTESTING.EVERYONE'S SO FOCUSED ONMITIGATING SPREAD AND TEST,TEST, TEST, SO EVERYONE WASPUSHING FOR THAT.BUT ONCE YOU TEST SOMEONE, ANDYOU LET THEM KNOW THEY'REPOSITIVE, YOU NEED TO TREATTHEM, YOU HAVE GOT TO ISOLATETHEM, AND THEN YOU NEED TODETERMINE THE 48 HOURS PRIORWHO WAS THAT PERSON WITHIN6 FEET OF.AND UNTIL THEY WERE DIAGNOSED,WHO WERE THEY IN 6 FEET OF FOR15 MINUTES?THAT'S CONSIDERED ASIGNIFICANT CONTACT.AND THEN IDENTIFYING ALL THOSEINDIVIDUALS WHO NOW NEED TO BECONTACTED WITHOUT REVEALINGTHE IDENTITY OF THE PERSON WHOWAS INFECTED.I MEAN, IT IS VERY COMPLEX.REPORT THIS COVER TRACTTRACING EFFORT COMES AS POLEWORKER TESTED POSITIVE FORCORONAVIRUS, OUT THERE WORKTHE POLLS ON JUNE 2ND FOR THEPRIMARY RACING COMING UP HEARWHAT SHE NOW WANTS THE CITYAND THE STATE IT DO LEADINGINTO NOVEMBER'S ELECTIONS.