(COVID-19 via Unsplash)
May 27, 2020 By Allie Griffin
The city has hired more than 1,700 contact tracers and secured 1,200 hotel rooms to reduce the spread of the coronavirus as it prepares to reopen.
The contact tracers will be tasked with finding family, friends and other people who have come in close contact to a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 and bring them in for testing.
The tracers will report for duty June 1, Mayor Bill de Blasio said yesterday.
More than 740 tracers have been hired from the hardest-hit communities. The tracers represent a variety of cultures and cover several languages. However, there is a focus on Spanish.
“The coronavirus pointed out disparities that are deep in the city, and must be fought in every way,” de Blasio said Tuesday. “So, it’s so important that over 700 of the tracers come from the very neighborhoods that have been hardest hit, and will understand what needs to be done to reach people.”
The tracers will also help people infected with the virus find suitable accommodation where they can self-isolate. In some cases, people who cannot isolate in their home will be offered a free hotel room.
Healthcare providers can also secure a hotel room for coronavirus patients. Also symptomatic New Yorkers can call 844-692-4692 and ask for the COVID hotel program if they need a room to self-isolate.
Contact tracers will check in with COVID-19-positive New Yorkers daily to ensure their safety. They’ll call or text daily and conduct in-person visits when necessary to gauge the progress of patients and ensure compliance with self-isolation protocol.
Tracers will also connect COVID-positive New Yorkers who need additional services to 200 staff members from 15 community-based organizations partnering with the city. The staffers — dubbed “resource navigators” by the city — will help those isolating get access to basic needs like food, laundry and medications.
“They will be your point person for anything and everything you need when you’re in that period of separation,” de Blasio said at City Hall today.
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19 Comments
Which hotel will we be staying at? I hope something fancy. Will there be free room service? Booze? Movies?
ITS THAT TRUE ??.N There are so many lies passing by the social media that people doesn’t believe in a lot of things..praying that they give special protection to our workers, specially minority workers to deal with this CLEANING???…this is a great idea!!. thank your mayor DiBlasio
Big daddy Trump! Don’t you watch Cuomo’s political grandstanding everyday? He’s got his hand out nearly on his knees begging trump for money.
Experts now say that six feet of distance may not be enough to stop coronavirus transmission. From my understanding most people were and continue to be infected by aerosol particles that can accumulate and remain infectious in air for hours, and can easily be inhaled. I am seriously thinking of getting out of this city. Its too crowded and just too expensive. Its only for the very rich or the very poor.
I came home on February 1, 2020 and when I got in the airport at JFK I had never seen so many people in my life coming into NY. And people with masks on. I took my phone out to take a picture and the security guard made me put my phone away. So I deleted the picture. But the year before when I came home from Europe there were not that many people coming into the states. What I saw at the beginning of this year when I came home I was so surprised about the amount of people coming into NY. I was stunned. Now I wish I had kept that picture. Its spread already so now the city want to trace new positive people like 5 months later after they allowed everyone in with no exam?
Where can we apply. I need a job and will do anything.
Anything?
It’s too late for contact tracing. The people that were concerned left the city or took precautions and stayed home. NYC will soon see a good number of non working, homeless and poor people moving here for all the help that is being mentioned for the poor and minorities during the governors/mayors live briefings. Those of us that live here know that the help is minimal and we are all worried about food and bills.
Eventually the city will be accused of targeting and harassing minorities with contact tracing.
“More than 740 tracers have been hired from the hardest-hit communities.” The city could save a lot of money just by texting people and leaving a message. Most people in the hardest hit areas own expensive phones. And what good is contact tracing when many of them do not practice social distancing, wear face-masks properly and do not quarantine when showing symptoms. I know many people in other areas are not either but the city keeps releasing the high infected zip codes during press releases and does not do much to enforce social distancing guidelines. Its not just about density anymore. NYC is dense everywhere. Its about pre existing conditions and lifestyle choices.
Cuomo sent sick people to nursing homes!
9 billion in debt. where the city going to get the money to hire all these people for tracing ?
Yes, the time has finally come. After 8 lovely years living in Queens my family and I are finally leaving New York City.
Orwell’s big brother is sitting in the Whitehouse fuming that his right to lie has been infringed by Twitter.
…via _executive_ order.
George W. Bush used an executive order to create an interagency task force to streamline energy projects….
What a joke.
“Contact tracers” = Orwell’s “Big Brother” on steroids and crack.
Actually they finding people who have come in close contact to a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 and bring them in for testing. It’s in the article above.
If you had ever read “1984” you’d know there isn’t a single resemblance. I know Trump encouraged millions of Americans to “liberate” themselves from public health, but you don’t HAVE to be against fewer people dying from CV. Why are the loudest people the least informed?
Wow! How do ordinary mere mortals get one of these jobs!