Good Evening,
As a follow-up to my email last week, I’d like to provide more information about contact tracing.
Contact tracing is used by health departments to prevent the spread of infectious disease. In general, contact tracing involves identifying people who have an infectious disease (cases) and their contacts (people who may have been exposed) and working with them to interrupt disease transmission. For COVID-19, this includes asking cases to isolate and contacts to quarantine at home voluntarily.
Contact tracing for COVID-19 typically involves:
- Interviewing people with COVID-19 to identify everyone with whom they had close contact during the time they may have been infectious
- Notifying contacts of their potential exposure
- Referring contacts for testing
- Monitoring contacts for signs and symptoms of COVID-19
- Connecting contacts with services they might need during the self-quarantine period
According to the CDC, “close contact” is defined as anyone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes starting from 48 hours before the person began feeling sick until the time the patient was isolated.
If you are instructed to self-quarantine by a healthcare provider, your employer or a public health official, there are paid leave options available to you, including up to eighty (80) hours of paid sick leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Contact your supervisor and me, (734) 255-0818, immediately.
Please continue to make smart decisions at work and at home.
Thank you,
Nicole
P.S. The CDC has updated their Coronavirus FAQ page with a lot of very helpful information. Click here to check it out.
