Cooperate With Contact Tracers, Gloucester County Officials Urge

GLOUCESTER COUNTY, NJ — Gloucester County officials are urging residents to cooperate with contact tracers as they attempt to alert anyone who may have been exposed to the coronavirus.

“Do your part, answer the call,” the Gloucester County Health Department said in a statement, “Protect those in your home and in the community.”

At the same time, residents should be aware of potential scams and contact authorities if they receive any suspicious calls.

Contact tracers assist the health department in all case investigation and contract tracing efforts to follow up with those individuals who have tested positive for the coronavirus, as well as those who have been directly exposed to a confirmed case.

“Contact tracing is an integral part of the road to COVID-19 recovery,” Gloucester County Freeholder Director Robert M. Damminger said. “Answering the call and speaking to Gloucester County contact tracers allows us to stop the spread quickly and keep residents safe.”

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When calling, contact tracers may ask residents to confirm your name and address, health information and identify any places or people they may have been around or close to. However, there have been some scammers who have called posing as contact tracers, officials said.

“A real contact tracer will never ask for money, secure information like financial status or Social Security numbers, immigration status or email you with information to click or download,” Freeholder Lyman Barnes, liaison to the Gloucester County Division of Weights and Measures, said. “It is important to stay alert and keep your sensitive information safe in case of fraud.”

Residents should report any suspicious calls to the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov/complaint.

“Our number one priority is keeping residents safe, whether it be from COVID-19 or fraudulent activity,” Freeholder Jim Jefferson, liaison to the Gloucester County Department of Health, said. “If you have any concerns about a call you receive claiming to be a contact tracer, do not hesitate to reach out to the Gloucester County Department of Health directly.”

As of Monday morning, 5,672 Gloucester County residents have tested positive for the coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic. Gloucester County has 235 coronavirus-related deaths. Gloucester County has conducted 72,537 total tests. Of these cases, 66,865 have come back negative. Two cases have been moved out of the county. Forty-three new positive tests were reported on Monday.

The Gloucester County Department of Health can be reached at 856-218-4101 or by visiting www.gloucestercountynj.gov.