New York May Soon Enact Contact Tracing Law
“A bill regulating the use of contact tracing data has moved its way through both chambers of the New York State legislature. Senate Bill S8450C regulates all information that includes or can reveal the identity of any individual and any COVID-19 related information or test results,” reports Dominic Panakal in HeyDataData.
“New York State established a tracing initiative to control the spread of the coronavirus pandemic across the state. The tracing program is part of the larger strategy of reducing transmission and ensuring affected individuals are appropriately isolated. As part of this initiative, the state employs contact tracers to communicate with individuals diagnosed with COVID-19, as well as any parties who have been in contact with them and therefore exposed to the virus.”
“During the early stages of the pandemic, Governor Cuomo said ‘once you trace, and you find more positives, then you isolate the positives — they’re under quarantine, they can’t go out, they can’t infect anybody else.’ Municipalities and local governments in New York have also engaged in this program or a variant of it. For example, New York City hired 3,000 disease detectives and case monitors to identify anyone who has come into contact with individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19.”
