Pritzker pushes contact tracing to stop spread of COVID-19; new app will help

Pritzker pushes contact tracing to stop spread of COVID-19; new app will help

As Illinois flattens the curve, Governor JB Pritzker is now going full-steam ahead with contact tracing to try and keep the case-count low.

CHICAGO - As Illinois flattens the curve, Governor JB Pritzker is now going full-steam ahead with contact tracing to try and keep the case-count low.

But he says he's worried about a second surge if we don’t get this right the first time.

A New York City data firm gave Chicago and the suburbs a "D" in social distancing. We once got an "A" for our efforts at the start of the pandemic.

“If people don't learn the lessons over the summer that we've learned over the last couple of months, and then we hit a fall surge. I mean, we're gonna be in big trouble,” Pritzker said.

Contact tracing, the governor says, is a critical part to stopping COVID-19.

“Knowing if you've been exposed to someone with COVID-19 gives everyday Illinoisans the ability to keep their families and coworkers and friends safe,” Pritzker said.

When a person tests positive, a contact tracer will reach out to their friends, family and coworkers through a text or email. If they do not answer, three phone calls will be placed, with an in-person visit as a last resort.

The state is working on new software and an app to help in the process.

“Giving local public health departments an easy way to connect to patients and their contacts,” Pritzker said.

Like with anything new, beware of scams, the Will County Sheriff’s Office is warning.

They say, "social security numbers or financial information" are not part of the contact tracing process.

“We're all on edge. We may not be thinking straight. We have to be reminded [that] scammers will take care of, take advantage I should say, of this as well,” said Steve Brandy of the Will County Public Health Department.

Brandy says if you are contacted by an official, they won’t ask many details.

“It's all done very privately. It's all done properly,” he said.

As for how many tracers Will County will need is still up in the air.

“Every health department in the state is still trying to figure out what they need at this point because we don't know what's going to happen next,” Brandy said.

The governor says the state will need 3,800 contact tracers. You can find out more information on the IDPH website.