---
id: "coronavirus-smarter-crowdsourcing:contact-tracing"
type: "GovLab topic page"
title: "Contact Tracing"
url: "https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/contact-tracing"
summary: "What are the challenges associated with locating people with whom an infected person has come into contact?"
source: "The GovLab (coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org)"
licence: "Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)"
---

# Contact Tracing

What are the challenges associated with locating people with whom an infected person has come into contact?

[RECOMMENDATIONS MEMO](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZZEMqf6j1caIcjxHFZLkxxc5p_ECRB_Va6s2zOxWaG4/edit?usp=sharing) [CONFERENCE TAKEAWAYS](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OD_vymjHw6UC5CnpcLS6qTJX9_IFRYS0I2gN9-Mx37k/edit?usp=sharing)

## DESCRIPTION

We identify seven problems associated with contact tracing. The first is establishing trust. People who have positive tests will not share information about the people with whom they have come into contact unless they trust the contract tracing personnel and organizations doing the work. Similarly, people who are contacted will be less willing to be interviewed and tested unless they trust the process. Second is determining which contacts receive the highest priority. Third, there are logistical challenges associated with locating people with whom an infected person has come into contact. Fourth, once people are contacted and asked to quarantine, it is important to support their physical and mental health needs. Fifth, recruiting, training and managing contact tracing personnel is a major challenge. Six, because contact tracing is a form of surveillance that could be abused, it is important to address the issue of privacy and protecting personal information. Finally, it is crucial to measure and evaluate the success of the contact tracing system.

[READ THE PROBLEM DESCRIPTION](https://docs.google.com/document/d/12JFEWk-QXC34Bt2JenqlSQ5566RV8YLdxh2Cxqqz0zk/edit?usp=sharing) [READ THE REGIONAL REPORT](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KI30Ko09VTxI4P-h9Hq_92a-vtEfh7MI9_OrJrMDEh0/edit?usp=sharing) [AGENDA AND LOGISTICS](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ajIA-WhaIFXTSBzm2SmmILe0bz9ERwyQ81eduM2zFlI/edit) [EXPERTS AND PARTICIPANTS](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eGsqSX5tyKSIq29XVn1C1Tx6r0f1Y-i-ye8skHTysxU/edit)

## RECOMMENDATION

[

Metrics

Governments should establish and use metrics to (1) indicate thresholds where contact tracing is more or less effective as a containment and mitigation strategy; and (2) track progress and effectiveness of ongoing contact tracing programs.

](https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/recommendations/metrics)

[

Interjurisdictional Coordination

Governments should increase vertical and horizontal interjurisdictional coordination by (1) incentivizing the use of interoperable or the same contact tracing platform and data collection process and (2) creating opportunities for knowledge sharing.

](https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/recommendations/interjurisdictional-coordination)

[

Localization

Governments should increase public trust in contact tracing programs by ensuring the programs incorporate local knowledge and experience. Specifically, they should (1) conduct an assessment that identifies community assets; (2) partner with local community organizations to identify contact tracers; (3) conduct a public health messaging campaign to explain contact tracing; and (4) incorporate information about the local community when training the contact tracing workforce.

](https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/recommendations/localization)

[EXPLORE THE RECOMMENDATIONS](https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/recommendations)