Staff in over 400 call centers in Germany work around the clock to notify people if they've been exposed to a positive coronavirus case. The country aims to have one contact tracer per 4,000 people.
Germany, a country of over 83 million people, has flattened its coronavirus curve, dropping from a peak of more than 6,000 new cases a day to just around 600 now. One tool the country has relied on: contact tracing by telephone.
Across Germany, there are around 400 call centers like this one, each filled with dozens of operators fielding calls from worried citizens, taking first steps at contact tracing and referring callers to medical personnel. "We've recruited staff from other district authorities, including social services, but we also have traffic wardens and librarians working for us," says Dr. Uwe Peters, director of the Pankow district health authority."We've even recruited gardeners from parks and recreation. They all help man the hotline. We also have students helping out and we're about to be allocated five soldiers as well.
Krummacher says if anyone on the list had contact within six feet of the infected person for more than 15 minutes, they're put under state-mandated quarantine at home, called every day by tracers and, if necessary, tested for COVID-19. If they test positive, the whole tracing cycle begins again. "We cut back on our grown-up private time, so to speak, in the evenings," she says."Of course, we are doing the work that that's left over from the day. So there's not much of a social life right now. I miss meeting with my friends. I miss spending time with my husband. But I think as long as it's just for a defined period of time, we can manage. I realize that it's really important work we're doing to try to stop the pandemic.
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