Reopening Could Require Thousands More Public Health Workers

Reopening Could Require Thousands More Public Health Workers
A smartphone belonging to Drew Grande, 40, of Cranston, R.I., shows notes he made for contact tracing on April 15, 2020. Steven Senne/AP
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SEATTLE—Before Washington state lifts its stay-at-home order, public health workers in Seattle’s King County want to be ready to douse any new sparks of infection.

That task, they say, requires at least 20 more investigators to call people who test positive for the CCP virus, track down their contacts, and get them into quarantine. Without the extra help, the workers insist, the state can’t possibly be ready to resume normal everyday activities.