Los Angeles Will Give You $20 For A Contact Tracing Interview

LOS ANGELES, CA — Having hired hundreds of people as contact tracers to help track the spread of coronavirus infections, Los Angeles County is adding a new incentive for people to actually participate in an hour-long interview: A cool twenty bucks. In the form of a gift card.

In a statement, the county health department announced the pilot program as part of a $10 million commitment "to encourage participation with case investigation and contact tracing efforts to help slow the spread of COVID-19."

The potential efficacy of contact tracing isn't up for debate — the practice was part of aggressive, nation-wide coronavirus measures in South Korea and Germany — but in the U.S. it has lagged as cases continue to rise in hot spots across the country.

That trend is playing out in Los Angeles county. On Monday, as the county health department announced the new contact tracing initiative and $20 incentive, it also announced a new record for hospitalizations.

The latest figures, which add 3,160 new coronavirus cases and 9 new deaths, brings the total in LA County to 159,045 cases and 4,104 deaths.

Contact tracing starts with a person who has tested positive for coronavirus. From there, trained contract tracers investigate who that person may have come in contact with, allowing health officials locate possible exposures and alert those at risk for spreading the virus further.

As of July 7, the county health department reported a total of 92,523 confirmed coronavirus cases that are part of its investigations.

"Please answer Public Health’s calls and call them back if they leave a message," the department said in a statement. "The information is protected and cannot be shared with others except in emergency situations. Please also note a public health specialist will never ask for a social security number, payment or documented status."

It's also worth noting that scam artists are attempting to pose as contact tracers. Real contact tracers will ask only for your name and date of birth.

In a statement tweeted Monday afternoon, the county health department acknowledged that while contact tracing "is an important tool in helping to flatten the curve," it's a tool that remains limited "Because of the sheer magnitude of community spread."

"Contact tracing alone will not contain the spread of this virus," the department tweeted, adding later in the thread, "frankly, at this point in the pandemic, everyone and every business needs to do their part to knock down the spread of COVID-19."

Read also:

• Hospitalizations Set Record As LA County Confirms 3,160 New Cases
• Coronavirus Patients Resist Contact Tracing In Riverside County