Contact Tracing Strategy:
The American Public could be mobilized to help with the task of contact tracing which of course is a vital component of public health strategy to control the virus.

Recruiting and training contact tracers will take time. Meanwhile the virus is spreading right now.
A state government or CDC could set up a program for the public to perform contact tracing. This could be a two track redundant system. In other words when a person tests positive they could access a government web site with a template for tracing and also recording capability. That way contact tracing could begin much sooner than waiting for a government tracer.

Tracing that is conducted earlier means earlier isolation and saved lives.

Also, when the government tracers do their tracking and the positive person or family member has already done tracing the time required for the government tracer should be reduced.
Most people have phones with maps and contact lists that would help with tracing.
From what I have seen the requirements for a tracer are to be able to follow a script, make phone calls and record data. The average US citizen has these skills.
I see this as a binary issue. Would we save more lives by relying on the government tracing or by mobilizing the public? I feel we would save more lives by mobilizing the public.

Also, it is a no lose strategy as the government trained tracers could continue to operate independent of the public mobilization.

Let’s not let bureaucratic inertia stop us from implementing a strategy that could save lives.
Take Care,
Norm Gustafson MS, OTR/L
Dunedin Florida
412-608-8230