On November 5th, Alberta Health Services announced it will be changing the way close contacts of positive cases of COVID-19 will be notified. Alberta is seeing a sharp rise in cases, and with more cases comes double to triple the number of close contacts. AHS’ contact tracing team has been working around the clock and they are now engaging Albertans in their own communities to support contact tracing efforts.
AHS will now only be contacting three priority groups to directly notify people if they are close contacts of a positive case.
The three groups are:
- healthcare workers
- minors (parents/guardians will be notified if their child was exposed in a school setting)
- individuals. whom work or live in a congregate/communal setting
AHS will no longer directly notify individual close contacts of positive cases that are confirmed outside of these three priority groups at this time.
Albertans who are not within the three priority groups and have tested positive for COVID-19, will have to contact their own close contacts of the exposure. Event organizers will still be directed to notify attendees of an exposure at an event. AHS will still inform workplaces of a positive case and directed to send out notifications to employees.
AHS will continue to contact positive cases directly to notify them of their result, identify priority close contacts to notify, as well as provide the positive case with guidance on notifying other close contacts.
AHS suggests to immediately contact those who could have been exposed to the virus if one tests positive, so they can isolate and get tested before potentially spreading to others.
-Erika Rolling, Trending 55 Newsroom
