City of York Council (CYC) has launched a new local test and trace system today (Thursday 22 October) to help people who have recently tested positive and aid in the city’s ongoing efforts to stop the spread of the Coronavirus.
The local public health team will contact those the central system has been unable to. People contacted will be advised to isolate, talked through the local support available when isolating, and asked about details of their close contacts so these can then be followed up by the national team.
Our Coronavirus support line is still running and people can call 01904 551550 or email COVID19help@york.gov.uk for help.
Details on the self-isolation support payments which is available to some who have lost earnings as a result of self-isolating are available at: https://www.york.gov.uk/selfisolate
How it works
The service will run Monday to Friday initially, increasing over the coming weeks to seven days a week.
The National Test and Trace will try and call those who have tested positive for 24 hours after the test result. If they have not been able to make contact then the information is passed on to York’s contact tracers who will then attempt to contact the positive person 3 times in 24 hours from a local phone number (01904). Text messages will also be sent to people with mobile phones telling them to expect a call. If this is still unsuccessful, then a home visit will be made, and if no-one is at home a letter with details of how to contact the team will be delivered to those advised to isolate.
People contacted will be advised to isolate, talked through how to access local support when isolating, and asked about details of their close contacts so these can then be followed up by the national team.
Please be scam aware
Contact tracers will never:
- Ask you to dial a premium rate number to speak to us (for example, those starting 09 or 087)
- Ask you to make any form of payment or purchase a product or any kind
- Ask for any details about your bank account
- Ask for your social media identities or login details, or those of your contacts
- Ask you for any passwords or PINs, or ask you to set up any passwords or PINs over the phone
- Disclose any of your personal or medical information to your contacts
- Provide medical advice on the treatment of any potential coronavirus symptoms
- Ask you to download any software to your PC or ask you to hand over control of your PC, smartphone or tablet to anyone else
- Ask you to access any website that does not belong to the council, the government or NHS
When contacted by contact tracers you will be asked:
- If you have family members or other household members living with you. In line with the medical advice they must remain in self-isolation for the rest of the 14-day period from when your symptoms began
- If you have had any close contact with anyone other than members of your household. We are interested in in the 48 hours before you developed symptoms and the time since you developed symptoms. Close contact means:
- having face-to-face contact with someone (less than a metre away)
- spending more than 15 minutes within two metres of someone
- travelling in a car or other small vehicle with someone (even on a short journey) or close to them on a plane
- If you work in – or have recently visited – a setting with other people (for example, a GP surgery, a school or a workplace)
We will ask you to provide, where possible, the names and contact details (for example, email address, telephone number) for the people you have had close contact with. As with your own details these will be held in strict confidence and will be kept and used only in line with data protection laws.
