New York City To Roll Out Largest Test And Trace Digital Surveillance Operation In The U.S.

New York City rolled out the biggest test and trace operation in the country on Friday, a key step in reopening the nation’s epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced at his daily briefing.  “This is how we move forward,” he said, adding that the newly minted organization would reach “deep into our communities, expanding testing, expanding tracing, and really getting our arms around the problem as never before.”

The public entity, named the New York City Test and Trace Corps, will begin with 1,000 trained medical professionals who will track down suspected cases of the disease, test New Yorkers and trace their recent contacts. The containment strategy aims to get ahead of the disease before it can erupt into a full-scale outbreak that would require shutting society and businesses down again.

“The New York City Test and Trace Corps is going to be a dedicated group of trained individuals who will lead the way in creating testing and tracing in a way we’ve never seen before in this city or this country,” de Blasio said.  “We want to find everyone who is positive and trace their close contacts,” he said. The city, in the beginnings of the recruitment process, has received nearly 7,000 applications so far and plans to hire a staff of 2,500 by June, the mayor said. -Full Report

H.R.6666 - COVID-19 Testing, Reaching, And Contacting Everyone (TRACE) Act