Michigan Coronavirus Contact Tracers Are Being Harassed
As Michigan struggles to keep COVID-19 transmission rates down by any means necessary, behind the scenes many Michiganders have devoted their time and efforts to help track outbreaks and prevent the spread.
These people are known as contact tracers and are a valuable tool that is used to help identify and notify people who may have been infected with COVID-19. Their entire role is to help curb the spread of the disease and to help us get back to normal, but many Michigan residents are unwilling to cooperate.
According to a story by BridgeMI.com, many people are lying about their whereabouts, ignoring calls or hanging up, and even verbally assaulting the contract tracers.
You might not know, but contact tracing isn't a new thing and has been used to track infectious diseases from Ebola, to bird flu, and now COVID-19. So, this isn't new and this isn't some sort of conspiracy to track people's movement for nefarious reasons. Contact tracing is one of the most effective ways of limiting a disease's spread.
In the article by Bridge, they talk to contact tracers in many counties across the state and all of their experiences are the same. Some of the conversations they have go smoothly and then others will end in anger and noncompliance. Some contact tracers even received threats against them and had felt forced to install security systems in their homes.