Ragtag Virus-Tracing Army Shapes Up With States Hiring Fast
- Disease detectives knocking: Where have you been? With whom?
- Federal funds are scant, so governors make their own plans
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U.S. health experts say a force of as many as 300,000 contact tracers is crucial for coast-to-coast reopening in the wake of the new coronavirus. So far, though, the country has a far smaller ragtag army that’s many weeks, if not months, from full deployment.
West Virginia wants tracers to go unpaid. Texas, advertising jobs at $17 to $22 an hour, calls the gig a “simple” matter of telling people to stay home. New York City is seeking 1,000 hires with public-health backgrounds.