Always Ask: You are 100 percent correct. Tracing and early warning is an essential element of a response. The problem is you have to start early, make contacts quickly and have the support of the local community. Sadly, federal funding to assist the States in setting up their tracing programs came late and many States still have not used the available funds. In a lot of Red states, there was considerable pushback against tracing programs that were deemed ‘intrusive’ and those that were contacted were often reluctant to share accurate information about those they might have been in contact with. Sadly, with the current spike in many red states, the number of new cases has overwhelmed available tracing programs. Just today, South Dakota (the worst state in terms of new cases) acknowledged that it was taking up to a week to contact individuals testing positive for Corona, by which time contact tracing was pointless. The Governor, who has refused to impose any statewide mask rules or limits on public gatherings is considering mobilizing National Guard troops to try and expand contact tracing efforts.
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