COVID-19 Contact Tracing Communication Toolkit for Health Departments

State and local health department staff can use or adapt these ready-made materials to educate their community about case investigation and contact tracing for COVID-19. This toolkit contains key messages, sample talking points, public service announcements, social media posts, graphics, questions and answers, and links to additional resources.

For additional details on case investigation and contact tracing to inform your communication strategy, read the Interim Guidance on Developing a COVID-19 Case Investigation & Contact Tracing Plan: Overview.

This toolkit will be updated regularly. Check back for updates.

Summary of Recent Changes

Key Messages

Case investigation and contact tracing slow the spread of COVID-19 by

• Letting people diagnosed with COVID-19 (cases) know they should isolate to avoid exposing others and assist with notifying their close contacts so they (contacts) can get tested and quarantine if needed.
• Letting people who may have been exposed to COVID-19 (contacts) know that they should monitor their health for signs and symptoms of COVID-19, and get tested and quarantine if needed.
• Providing resources to people diagnosed with or exposed to COVID-19 about isolation, testing, quarantine, and vaccination.

During contact tracing, health department staff will not ask you for:

• Money
• Social Security number
• Bank account information
• Salary information
• Credit card numbers

The bottom line: Choosing to help your health department slow the spread of COVID-19 protects you, your family, and your community.

Talking points

Explain case investigation and contact tracing

• Case investigation: Case investigation is the process health departments use to work with people who have COVID-19. Case investigators
  • Ask people with COVID-19 to isolate and to monitor their health.
  • Help people with COVID-19 recall everyone they had close contact with during the time when they might have been infectious.
  • Ask people with COVID-19 to notify everyone they were in close contact with to tell them that they have been exposed to COVID-19.
  • Provide connections to supportive services while a person is isolating.
• Contact tracing: Contact tracing is the process health departments use to work with people who have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19. Contact tracers
  • Let people know they might have been exposed to COVID-19 and should monitor their health for signs and symptoms of COVID-19.
  • Help people who might have been exposed to COVID-19 get tested when needed.
  • Ask people to quarantine when needed.

Encourage people with COVID-19 to isolate and encourage people who might have been exposed to COVID-19 to quarantine when needed

• If you have COVID-19, stay at home and away from others for 10 days (isolate), except to get medical care.
• If you might have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19, you should get tested and quarantine. Exceptions include
  • Fully vaccinated people
  • People who have tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 3 months and recovered

Any close contacts who have symptoms or test positive for COVID-19 should isolate, regardless of vaccination status or prior infection.

• If you have been fully vaccinated and around someone who has COVID-19 (close contact), you do not need to stay away from others (quarantine), be restricted from work, or be tested unless you have COVID-like symptoms.
• If you have tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 3 months and recovered, you do not need to stay away from others (quarantine) or get tested again if you were around someone who has COVID-19 (close contact) as long as you do not develop new COVID-19-like symptoms.
• People who are fully vaccinated and those who have tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 3 months and recovered should still monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 for 14 days after being around someone with COVID-19. If you experience COVID-like symptoms, you should isolate from others, be clinically evaluated for COVID-19, and get tested. Tell your health care provider if you have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Exceptions where testing (but not quarantine) is still recommended can be  found in CDC’s Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People.

Encourage members of your community to access vaccination services

• Once you are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, we highly recommend scheduling an appointment to get vaccinated or visiting a vaccination site that does not require an appointment. The federal government is providing the vaccine free of charge to all people living in the United States, regardless of their immigration or health insurance status. There are several ways you can look for vaccination providers near you:
  • Visit Vaccines.gov to find vaccination providers near you. In some states, information may be limited while more vaccination providers and pharmacies are being added. Learn more about COVID-19 Vaccination Locations on Vaccines.gov.
  • Text your zip code to 438829 or call 1-800-232-0233 to find vaccine locations near you.
  • Check your local pharmacy’s website to see if vaccination appointments are available. Find out which pharmacies are participating in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program.
  • Check your local news outlets. They may have information on how to get a vaccination appointment.

Encourage members of your community to answer the phone from the health department

• We all need to work together to slow the spread of COVID-19.
• If you are a close contact, the health department might still call you to conduct contact tracing, even if you have been fully vaccinated.
• Be part of the solution and answer the phone—it may be the health department calling to let you know your test result came back positive for COVID-19, or that you have been in close contact with someone who has it.
• Discussions with health department staff are confidential. This means that your personal and medical information will be kept private and only shared with those who may need to know, like your health care provider.
• Your name will not be shared with those you came in contact with. The health department will only notify people you were in close contact with that they might have been exposed to COVID-19.
• Your information will be collected for health purposes only and will not be shared with any other agencies, like law enforcement or immigration.

How To Talk To Your Close Contacts

pdf icon[PDF - 956 KB, 2 Pages]

Encourage your community to follow state and local health department guidance

• Follow your local health department guidance on ways to prevent getting sick and what to do if you are sick.
• Check your local health department’s website for information about options in your area to possibly shorten the quarantine period for people who were in close contact with COVID-19.

Encourage people who have COVID-19 to tell their close contacts

• If you have COVID-19, tell your close contacts so that they can monitor their health, stay at home, and get tested while waiting to hear from the health department or health officials. Close contacts who have tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 3 months and recovered or are fully vaccinated do not need to stay away from others (quarantine) or get tested again, as long as they do not develop new COVID-19 symptoms.

Use CDC’s messages for specific audiences about what to expect during case investigation and contact tracing

• Messages for people who have been around someone who has COVID-19
• Messages for people who are waiting for a COVID-19 test result
• Messages for people who are diagnosed with COVID-19

Sample public service announcements

15-second

The [insert health department name] is working hard to slow the spread of COVID-19. If you have been around someone with COVID-19, someone from the health department may call you to discuss important COVID-19 information, such as signs and symptoms of COVID-19, testing, and quarantine. Help us by answering the call to slow the spread of COVID-19.

30-second

The [insert health department name] is working hard to slow the spread of COVID-19. If you have been around someone with COVID-19, someone from the health department may call you to talk about important COVID-19 information. Choosing to help us slow the spread of COVID-19 helps protect you, your family, and your community. Help us by answering the call to slow the spread of COVID-19. For more information, visit [insert URL]. This is a message from the [insert health department name].

Video

Answer the Call – Contact Tracing Video

This 1-minute long animation video with voiceover informs the public about contact tracing and why they should answer and respond to a call from a contact tracer.

Español

Sample graphics

Share contact tracing messages and graphics on your website, social media account, within other COVID-19 education materials. To download, right click on the image and “save image as.” Access all COVID-19 contact tracing communications graphics on CDC’s website.

Answer the Call from the Health Department

Tell Your Close Contacts

Tell Your Close Contacts

What to Expect if You Have Been Exposed to COVID-19

Multi-Use Contact Tracing Images

Multi-Use Contact Tracing Images

Sample social media posts

Raise awareness about case investigation and contact tracing for COVID-19 by sharing resources with your community. Share the sample content shown below or create your own messages. You can also follow CDC’s social media accounts to repost/retweet messages for your community. For more social media-ready COVID-19 content on a variety of topics, visit the Stop The Spread Social Media Toolkit.

Twitter

• We can work together to help slow the spread of #COVID19. Do your part: answer the phone if someone from the health department calls. Learn more: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/contact-tracing.html
• You can help your health department slow the spread of #COVID19 to help protect you, your family, and your community. Answer the call: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/Contact-Tracing-Infographic-FINAL.pdfpdf icon
• Waiting for a test result? Monitor your health and think about your recent close contacts. Stay home if you have symptoms, are not fully vaccinated, or have not recovered from COVID-19 within the past 3 months. #SlowtheSpread of #COVID19: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/php/318271-A_FS_KeyStepsWhenWaitingForCOVID-19Results_3.pdf
• Do you think you’ve been exposed to #COVID19? Stay home for 14 days if you have symptoms, are not fully vaccinated, or have had COVID-19 within the past 3 months and have not recovered. Your health department might offer options to shorten quarantine: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/quarantine.html
• Contact tracing slows the spread of #COVID19. See these answers to Frequently Asked Questions about contact tracing: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html#Contact-Tracing. #SlowTheSpread
• If you are sick with #COVID19, the health department may contact you. Learn about the steps of contact tracing: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/Contact-Tracing-Infographic-FINAL.pdf
• If you have #COVID19, notify your close contacts—the people you were around in the 2 days before your symptoms started (or before your test, if you had no symptoms) until you started isolation. Learn more: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/contact-tracing.html
• By letting your close contacts know they might have been exposed to #COVID19, you are helping to protect them and others in your community. You can call, text, or email your contacts. Learn more: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/contact-tracing.html
• You may be considered a close contact even if you are fully vaccinated for #COVID19, which means your health department may call or text you. If you are fully vaccinated and don’t have symptoms, you do not need to quarantine. Learn more: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/contact-tracing.html
• Health departments and public health professionals have used contact tracing for decades to slow or stop the spread of infectious diseases. The success of #COVID19 contact tracing depends on people’s participation. Learn more: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/contact-tracing.html
• Student athletes: The information you share with a contact tracer will be kept confidential. The health department will only notify your recent contacts that they might have been exposed to #COVID19. Be a team player—answer the call. More: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/contact-tracing.html
• School administrators: CDC has released updated guidance that can help in planning for and implementing #COVID19 case investigation and contact tracing in K-12 schools and institutions of higher education. Learn more: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/contact-tracing.html
• Updated CDC guidance provides information for administrators of K-12 schools, institutions of higher education, and health officials on how to quickly identify #COVID19 cases, isolate those with COVID-19, and ask close contacts to quarantine if needed: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/contact-tracing.html

Example posts from CDC’s Twitter (@CDCgov) account:

By letting your close contacts know they may have been exposed to #COVID19, you are helping to protect them and others in your community. You can call, text, or email your contacts. Learn more: bit.ly/3r2Pmd1.

Health departments and public health professionals have used contact tracing for decades to slow or stop the spread of infectious diseases. The success of #COVID19 contact tracing depends on people’s participation. Learn more: bit.ly/2ZkyWjJ.

Facebook

• If you have been exposed to COVID-19, we will call you to talk about important COVID-19 information, such as signs and symptoms of COVID-19, testing, and quarantine. Most fully vaccinated people with no COVID-like symptoms do not need to quarantine, but they should still monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 for 14 days following an exposure. Do your part to help protect your family and your community: answer the call to slow the spread. Learn more: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/contact-tracing.html
• If you have COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status or prior infection, someone from [insert health department name] might call you to check on your health, discuss who you’ve been in contact with, and ask you to stay at home and away from others to isolate. This information is collected for health purposes only and will not be shared with any other agencies, like law enforcement or immigration. Your name will not be revealed to those you came in contact with. Do your part to help protect your family and your community from COVID-19: answer the call to slow the spread. Learn more: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/contact-tracing.html
• If you have COVID-19, notify your close contacts—meaning people you were around in the 2 days before your symptoms started (or before your COVID-19 test, if you had no symptoms) until you started isolation. You can spread the virus to others with or without symptoms. Learn more: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/contact-tracing.html
• Close contacts are the people you were around in the two days before your symptoms started (or two days before your COVID-19 test, if you had no symptoms), until you started isolation. Learn more: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/contact-tracing.html
• By letting your close contacts know they might have been exposed to COVID-19, you are helping to protect them and others in your community. You can call, text, or email your contacts. Learn more: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/contact-tracing.html
• You may be considered a close contact even if you have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19, which means your health department may call or text you. Most people who are fully vaccinated do not need to quarantine. If people, regardless of vaccination status or prior infection, begin to experience COVID-19 symptoms or test positive for COVID-19, they should isolate from others. Learn more: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/contact-tracing.html
• Health departments and public health professionals have used contact tracing for decades to slow or stop the spread of infectious diseases. The success of COVID-19 contact tracing depends on people’s participation. Learn more: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/contact-tracing.html
• School administrators: As K–12 schools and institutions of higher education (IHEs) resume in-person learning, crucial and effective strategies to slow the spread of COVID-19 are:
  • Identifying people who are sick and asking those who are to isolate
  • Letting people know they might have been exposed to COVID-19 and should monitor their health for signs and symptoms
  • Asking people who have been exposed to COVID-19 to quarantine
• Learn about steps to take in CDC’s updated guidance for COVID-19 case investigation and contact tracing in K-12 schools and IHEs: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/contact-tracing.html

Example post from CDC’s Facebook account (@CDC):

If you have COVID-19, notify your close contacts—meaning people you were around in the 2 days before your symptoms started (or before your COVID-19 test, if you had no symptoms) until you started isolation. You can spread the virus to others with or without symptoms. Learn more: bit.ly/3r2Pmd1.

Instagram

• The best way to protect yourself and others is to stay home for 14 days if you think you’ve been exposed to someone who has #COVID19. Most fully vaccinated people with no COVID-like symptoms do not need to quarantine, but they should still monitor for COVID-19 symptoms. Check your local health department’s website for information about options in your area to possibly shorten this quarantine period. #CDC #PublicHealth #Coronavirus

• School administrators: As K–12 schools and institutions of higher education (IHEs) resume in-person learning, effective strategies to slow the spread of #COVID19 are:
  • Identifying people who are sick and asking those who are to isolate
  • Letting people know they might have been exposed to COVID-19 and should monitor their health for signs and symptoms
  • Asking people who have been exposed to COVID-19 to quarantine.

Learn about steps to take in CDC’s updated guidance for COVID-19 case investigation and contact tracing in K-12 schools and IHEs: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/contact-tracing.html

#CDC #PublicHealth #Coronavirus

Example post from CDC’s Instagram account (@cdcgov):

Do you know what happens during #COVID19 contact tracing? We have an answer. #CDC #PublicHealth #Coronavirus

Questions and answers

Health department staff might have questions about various topics related to case investigation and contact tracing. Visit the Contact Tracing Frequently Asked Questions and Answers webpage for additional information.

Previous Updates