contact tracing

“The big change for New Yorkers is that if you test positive, you should no longer expect a call from your health department."

Given the spike in COVID-19 cases, county officials are advising residents to make sure they stay safe during holiday gatherings.

“A lot of our staff is out doing their regulatory jobs, that need to happen, and it leaves us less infrastructure for doing the case investigation."

The state's Department of Health is working to hire a new company under an even pricier contract to take over its contact tracing program. The previous company was fired for a massive data breach.

The state says it will not renew its contract with the agency after the incident.

The people who track coronavirus exposures and try to prevent the virus’s spread are called Contact Tracers. Their work is taking on a new urgency.