State or local health departments could be trying to tell you that you’ve been exposed to COVID-19.
Contact tracing notifies people who were around someone diagnosed with COVID-19.
“If someone from the health department calls you, answer the call to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in your community,” the CDC said.
Those numbers may show up as an “unknown number,” so the CDC said to check your voicemail from unknown callers.
Contact tracing discussions are kept confidential and the information can only be shared with your doctor. If a contact tracer needs to call the people you’ve come in contact with, they will not disclose your name. The health department will only notify people who were within six feet of you for more than 15 minutes.
You still want to watch out for scams. The CDC warns that a health department will not ask for: money, Social Security numbers, bank account information, salary information or credit card numbers.
Some states have partnered with Apple and Google to send you exposure notifications when you may have come in contact with someone who tested positive for the virus.
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