Contact tracing is an important step in slowing the spread of COVID-19. It’s when health workers notify you that you’ve been in close contact with an infected person. They will tell you how to quarantine or isolate and get tested. Public health departments have used contact tracing for decades to fight infectious disease.
Introducing California Connected, our state’s contact tracing program.
Under this program, health workers will talk to those who have tested positive. They’ll alert anyone they may have exposed, keeping names confidential. They’ll:
check symptoms
offer testing
discuss next steps like quarantine, self-isolation, and medical care.
By finding spread patterns quickly, we slow infection and help avoid outbreaks. This lets California keep healthcare needs below capacity and safely reopen businesses.
All you have to do is answer a phone call
Contact tracing is an anonymous way to do your part. The more people answer the call, the more lives and jobs California saves. Your information is always kept confidential.
Early awareness helps you protect your friends and loved ones from exposure. And early medical care can improve your outcome.
The sooner we can reach you, the sooner you can get advice, testing, and support.
You will get medical care, regardless of income, health insurance, or immigration status.
You will get advice on how to separate yourself from others to avoid spreading the disease.
You will be asked basic questions like your name and age, the places you’ve been, and the people you’ve spent time with.
Those people will be contacted and told they may have been exposed to COVID-19. They will be offered testing and medical care.
Your personal information is confidential and will not be shared. They will not ask about your immigration status.
If you are exposed to COVID-19:
You’ll get a call, text or email from your local public health department to inform you of this exposure.
They will not share information about who may have exposed you. This information is confidential.
You’ll get free, confidential testing, regardless of income, health insurance, or immigration status.
They will help you understand your infection risk. They’ll tell you what to do immediately to prevent further spread.
They will stay in touch to see if you develop symptoms.
If you have symptoms, they will get you tested quickly. You will get resources to self-isolate.
They may ask questions about the places you’ve been and the people you’ve spent time with.
Your personal information is confidential and will not be shared. They will not ask about your immigration status.
Information you provide to a contact tracer is confidential
Your identity and health information is always kept private. It will not be shared with anyone who may have been exposed. No one will ask about your immigration status during testing, care or follow-up calls. You will never be asked for your Social Security number or payment information.
California’s strict privacy laws protect all your information. California Connected maintains data with strict privacy and security standards. The data is only collected and stored for use by local and state public health departments.
If you have COVID-19 or test positive for coronavirus, isolate yourself from others. Try to stay in a separate room and use a separate bathroom. Disinfect frequently-touched surfaces, or have your caregiver do so.
People you live with are close contacts. They should quarantine and get tested.
Support if you test positive or are in isolation or quarantine
If you are anxious, stressed or scared, you are not alone.Pandemics can be stressful. Fear and anxiety about a new disease and what could happen can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions. Coping with stress in a healthy way will make you, the people you care about, and your community stronger. See this CDC video about managing anxiety and stress.
If you feel like you need to talk to someone and want emotional support, see this list of resources. The California Surgeon General released two playbooks for managing stress and tips for caregivers and kids.
California Connected and local public health departments offer a COVID-19 symptom check-in service. This virtual assistant provides confidential and safe check-ins through text messages. Your local public health department will send answers to care-related questions, provide resources, and check in on your symptoms. All information is protected and is only used for public health purposes. Read the virtual assistant service legal policies.
California COVID Notify exposure notification
California COVID Notify is a pilot project at UCSD and UCSF to test Google and Apple’s Exposure Notification Express mobile system. It detects if participants were near someone with COVID-19 through anonymous keys exchanged with their phones via Bluetooth. This pilot will only be open to students and employees at these universities.
The pilot was launched in late September and is expected to last about one month. California will review the results and decide whether to make the technology available statewide. Only people who opt in will participate in the notification system.
Questions and answers
A close contact is someone who was within 6 feet of a person with COVID-19 for at least 15 minutes over a 24-hour period starting from 2 days before symptoms appeared (or, for asymptomatic patients, 2 days prior to their test) until the time the patient is isolated.
You are also a close contact if:
You provided care at home to someone who is sick with COVID-19
You had direct physical contact with the person (hugging or kissing them)
You shared eating or drinking utensils
They sneezed, coughed, or somehow got respiratory droplets on you.
Yes, you are still considered a close contact even if you were wearing a mask while you were around someone with COVID-19. Masks may offer some protection to the wearer, but are mainly meant to protect other people in case you are infected.
California’s contact tracing program does not use any cell phone tracking technology. Someone from your local public health department will simply speak privately with you. All information is confidential and protected by California’s strict privacy laws. They may stay in touch to make sure your symptoms aren’t worsening.
California Connected is using existing state employees for contact tracing. We appreciate offers of additional support from the private sector and qualified members of the public, but they are not needed at this time.
How do I apply for a contact tracer position?
California Connected is using existing state employees for contact tracing. We appreciate offers of additional support from the private sector and qualified members of the public, but they are not needed at this time.
How do I sign-up for a contact tracer position?
California Connected is using existing state employees for contact tracing. We appreciate offers of additional support from the private sector and qualified members of the public, but they are not needed at this time.
Yes. There are extra federal, state, and in some cases, local sick leaves available for workers in this situation:
Federal paid sick leave: Up to 80 hours under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) for businesses with less than 500 workers. See more information on FFCRA in its FAQs.
California COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave: Food businesses, healthcare providers, and emergency responders with more than 500 workers must give up to 80 hours of paid sick leave.
Local paid sick leave ordinances: Certain local areas also have paid sick leave ordinances. Consult with the local enforcement agency in your area.
We don’t yet know. The duration of immunity to coronavirus infection is not yet understood. Patients infected with similar viruses are unlikely to be re-infected in the months after they recover. But we don’t yet know if similar immune protection happens in patients with COVID-19.
You should quarantine if you have had close contact with someone who has COVID-19. If you tested positive for COVID-19 in the 3 months prior to the close contact but do not currently have symptoms, you do not need to quarantine or be tested again. If you develop symptoms, you may need to quarantine and be tested again.
