Cuomo details plans for massive tracing army

Updated: December 15, 2024 - 2:54am

<p>New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo detailed the state's plan to trace all coronavirus cases using an army of thousands of contact tracers.</p><p>"That is an overwhelming scale to an operation that has never existed before," he during his daily press briefing Thursday.</p><p>Cuomo said the system aims to trace the whereabouts of everyone who tests positive for the virus, then notify anyone they came in contact with while infected, to help ensure the safety of New Yorkers and allow them to get back to daily life.</p><p>Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, in partnership with Johns Hopkins University, is leading the operation. He joined Cuomo's briefing via video on Thursday.</p><p>“How can we begin to loosen these restrictions and begin reopening the economy?” asked Bloomberg during the press conference via video chat. “One of the most important steps we have to take to reopen the economy as safely as possible is to create a system of contact tracing. When social distancing is relaxed, contact tracing is our best hope for isolating the virus when it appears, and keeping it isolated.”</p>