Contact Tracing to stop the spread of COVID-19

Contact tracing is the process of quickly identifying, assessing, and managing people who have been exposed to a disease to prevent additional transmission. When used with other public health measures like widespread testing and social distancing, contact tracing is a key strategy for preventing further spread of COVID-19. The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is scaling up and training a large contact tracer workforce to stop the transmission of COVID-19.  When DPH is notified of a person with confirmed COVID-19, the case is interviewed and people they had close contact with the infected person, within 6 feet for 15 minutes or longer beginning two days before they became ill are identified.  DPH will then reach out to these individuals either by phone or text message to inform them that they have come in contact with someone with COVID-19  and enroll them in symptom monitoring. Individuals will be asked to monitor their symptoms and report any symptoms through a text messaging system, or by calling DPH if unable to text, and are asked to self-quarantine after their last contact with the case. Individuals who develop symptoms during the course of their symptom monitoring will be asked to isolate themselves at home and will be referred for COVID-19 testing, or to seek medical care if necessary. All information collected is provided voluntarily and will be kept confidential according to HIPAA standards.