The state of Louisiana moves into Phase One of the economic restart after the coronavirus shut down. Gov. John Bel Edwards says contact tracers are ready to go.
"298 contact tracers have completed their training this week," said Gov. Edwards. "By tomorrow, we should have 290 in place and working on contact tracing."
The governor said contact tracing is a necessity to reopen non-essential businesses, because the pandemic has only begun to subside.
"Obviously, we're still seeing COVID-19 cases in communities across the state of Louisiana, so any one of us can receive a call from a contact tracer," said Edwards.
Contact tracers will work to find people who have been in close contact with people who test positive for COVID-19. The governor said the call will show up in your caller ID as (877) 766-2130.
"Contact tracing is not a new process developed for COVID-19," the governor said. "In fact it's been used here in Louisiana on a number occasions: it was used with respect to smallpox, to suppress deadly diseases like tuberculosis and hepatitis A."
The governor said their goal is to have 700 contact tracers to help locate people who have been in contact with future coronavirus patients, so they'll be able to quarantine for two weeks.