Employers

Understanding Contact Tracing

Contact tracing helps slow the spread of COVID-19, which benefits your employees, their loved ones and our whole community. It is used by public health authorities to identify and give guidance to anyone who may have been exposed to someone who has contracted COVID-19.

According to the CDC, contact tracing slows the spread of COVID-19 by:

  • Letting people know they may have been exposed to COVID-19 and should monitor their health for signs and symptoms
  • Helping people get tested
  • Asking people who are unvaccinated to self-isolate if they have tested positive for COVID-19 or self-quarantine if they have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19

We know your employees’ health and safety is your top priority. To support their return to work, we encourage you to make them aware of the following contact tracing resources available to help them.

Exposure Notification Tools

Out of a shared sense of responsibility to help fight this pandemic, Google and Apple jointly created the Exposure Notifications System. Public health authorities worldwide are deploying apps that use the system to help their contact tracing efforts.

In the U.S., there is no national app for contact tracing. It is up to each state and individual to decide which tools best fit their needs.

Regional resources currently available to you and your employees include:

Tools vary state-by-state. Check your state health department’s resources for more information.