As COVID-19 cases and related hospitalizations surge in our state, some public health officers are worried that some individuals who tested positive are not adhering to health safety guidelines and potentially threatening the more vulnerable populations in the state.
When a confirmed case is identified, local contact tracers determine where they've been and who they've been with. Then tracers reach out to their contacts asking them to isolate themselves for an appropriate period of time.
Park County Public Health Officer Dr. Aaron Billin said they've encountered push back on isolation and sharing information.
"It would be nice if people were just a bit more cooperative with our public contact tracing. We've had some people that have been oppositional," he said.
Billin said the goal of contact tracing is to try to stop the virus from spreading.
"We've had a few people say they don't think this is necessary," said Billin. "We're aware of a few people that have gone to work when they're sick. And we're aware of people who have had a positive case, and maybe weren't as careful as they should have been."
He said if positive cases and those exposed ignore these guidelines, the cases will most likely continue to surge.
The Campbell County public health officer expressed similar frustrations with positive cases socializing.
Have a question about this story? Contact the reporter, Kamila Kudelska, at kkudelsk@uwyo.edu.