How do you feel about contact tracing as a means of controlling or reducing COVID spread?

No.

It seems to be very effective. I suspect they can do it already. I would be ok with it if it could be done provisionally for a short period of time but I do understand the privacy concerns in the long run.

I always thought of it more as interviewing one as to where one had been rather than being done technoligcally but that might have been in the past.

I don’t really understand how it works totally. I was in the grocery store this morning during Senior hours. How would “they” know who I came into contact with there?

@janbb You have your phone and the person in your vicinity has their phone, and you are both in the frozen food section, although 8 feet apart. But the other person is sick tomorrow, they can trace where that person was and realize you were exposed.

I don’t even like the ‘Alexa’ type invasion. I don’t like to talk to a computer that ‘tests’ me on being “a Human;” you know?! ;-)

@zenvelo Isn’t that only if your location services are turned on or does it get over ridden somehow?

@janbb That is the whole question – do I allow the app to report everywhere I have been in exchange for telling me if I have inadvertently exposed?

Okay with me.

Google does something like that already, if I look up the address or phone number, in Google, of a restaurant I went to three years ago, Google tells I was there three years ago, I didn’t “Check in” either.

This might help.

^Pricey!

@lucillelucillelucille and it isn’t out until Fall

@chyna -But you’re worth it!
@elbanditoroso -Patience, Grasshopper!

@lucillelucillelucille read some reviews, it is a plastic brick that can’t always make phone calls, short battery life, overheats while charging and it has terrible wireless.

@Tropical_Willie -Sounds like the one we’ve got. Lmao!

I couldn’t open the article.

Mixed feelings.

The California governor says his tracing is completely anonymous. From what I understand he was tracing where people were congregating to forecast where outbreaks are likely. I can see the value in this. Someone has a 100 person church service, or a 100 person party, it might be a good idea to keep an eye on the areas.

Most of the contact tracing being talked about is for when someone is positive for COVID19 a person will call and follow up asking where they have been the last 14 days, and then call and test contacts. I’m completely in favor of this, I think they should adhere to HIPAA laws with the knowledge that obviously individuals might deduce on their own who they had contact with. I have said in my community I would volunteer to make calls. Whether or not you can force someone to answer by some government mandate is a different thing, I think no matter what it’s just honor system that people will sf report to the best of their memory. If someone was sick and had worked two days before at my supermarket I would want the supermarket notified. Whether to force employees to be tested or to post a health notice somewhere to the general public is more iffy in my mind.

Then there is the kind of tracing that is done electronically that some Asian countries are using. I’m not sure how and if it’s different than California? There is an app I think. You allow yourself to be traced, so I guess you can opt out, but opting in means you can be deemed low risk assuming you have been in low risk situation. If you can opt in and out I guess that’s ok. It’s imperfect obviously. People can just leave their phone home.

My governor, Florida, says they have been doing tracing all along and will continue to. I have no idea the depth or breadth of the tracing. I know since early March Florida publishes daily every single positive by county, which includes, gender, age, date of testing, if they traveled and where, if they are a Florida resident. I don’t know if all states do this. I don’t know what other questions they are asking that are not being put into the public record, and I don’t know what specific follow up is done regarding the answers and what possible changes they might make going forward.

We no longer have privacy, just the illusion of it.

If it works and can save people’s life I’m fine with it.

I don’t know that someone’s smart phone will be able to connect with my flip phone.

@anniereborn if your “flip-phone” has Bluetooth the connection could be made. The apps are looking for a connection between two Bluetooth phones. Does not have to be a Smartphone.

Only if it’s anonymized.

@Tropical_Willie Uh no, there is no blue tooth involved. I maybe use the thing once a week to make a phone call. It’s just for when I am out of the house, which is rare now.

In my state, they’re going to start doing it by interviewing the positive person and then contacting all of the people they’ve been in contact with in the past few weeks.

I see people on FB, in FB groups, saying they won’t answer the phone and they’re paranoid that this is government intrusion into their lives and privacy.

@jca2 Um, how are they gonna get ahold of all the people they were in contact with at grocery stores and such ?

@anniereborn The contact tracing will reveal which stores they went to and then the store can have employees testing and wash down surfaces ahead of schedule if they only do massive cleans once a week, etc. It’s imperfect, but every little bit helps. It would be great if they let the public know if you shopped at X store in the last two weeks you might have been exposed, but I don’t think they will do it, because it would hurt commerce too much.