Photo Courtesy of CDC This illustration, created at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, depicts coronavirus. The spikes that adorn the outer surface of the virus impart the look of a corona surrounding the virion when viewed electron microscopically, which gives the virus its name.
BLOOMFIELD, NJ — The Bloomfield Health and Human Services Department has outlined step-by-step what the contact tracing process entails for residents who test positive for COVID-19. The purpose of contact tracing is to retrace a person’s steps leading up to the positive diagnosis and to reach out to all people who may have been exposed to them.
“Making sure that we quickly identify positive cases in our community and figure out who those people were in contact with is key for us to flatten the curve,” Mayor Michael Venezia said.
When a person tests positive for COVID-19, the Public Health Department will contact that person by phone to begin the contact-tracing interview process. The interview in total should take between 10 and 15 minutes.
“The contact-tracing process combined with increased testing is the best way for us to stop the spread of COVID-19 in Bloomfield,” Health Director Karen Lore said. “The interview does not take much time and we ask that any residents that test positive cooperate with our tracers.”
All information is kept confidential, though residents are strongly encouraged to share information to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 cases in the community. Citizenship information will not be discussed as part of the interview process.
To prevent possible scams, residents should be aware that they will never be asked for a Social Security number or bank information. The Bloomfield nursing and investigation team will always identify themselves by name and explain that they are calling from the Bloomfield Department of Health and Human Services. Anyone who suspects someone is attempting to scam them should contact the Bloomfield Police Department’s non-emergency number at 973-680-4141.
About the Author
