Baltimore City Officials Say Some Coronavirus Patients Not Answering Calls, Questions From Contact Tracers
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Baltimore city officials said contact tracers, trying to track the path of the coronavirus spread, are having issues getting in touch with positive patients -- and when they do they aren't getting answers.
City Health Commissioner Letitia Dzirasa said contact tracers are having difficulties collecting information from positive coronavirus patients in the city. She said the city cannot be successful in its tracking if patients don't answer the questions accurately.
Baltimore City Will Remain Under A Stay At Home Order, Despite The State Lifting Its Order
"Right now contact tracers from the Baltimore City Health Department and the Maryland Department of Health are in the process of reaching out to residents who have tested positive for COVID-19. They're reaching out to ask about their movements during the time they were able to spread disease, and to ask them about the people that may have been in close contact with," she said. "Our teams reporting that some residents are choosing not to answer the call or refusing to provide the information being asked."
She said it is both for the safety of city residents and for the eventual reopening of the city, that residents who receive the calls take them seriously.
"Please answer the phone when you get the contact tracing calls, please answer the questions honestly and be sure to provide the information that our contact traces are asking for these calls are confidential," she added, "and we would never ask residents for their social security number credit card information or immigration status."
On Thursday, Baltimore City Mayor Jack Young announced the city would remain under a stay at home order, despite the governor lifting the statewide order.
Young said the city's number of coronavirus cases and deaths continue to grow and so it's not safe enough to reopen.
For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.
