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Councilmember Levine urges residents to answer tracers, use city isolation hotels and keep testing to avoid a second wave
Summary
Councilmember Mark Levine, chair of the City Council Health Committee, told CB2 the city’s testing capacity has improved but contact‑tracing uptake is low; he urged residents to take tracer calls, use free city hotel isolation options and called for financial supports to make isolation practicable for hourly workers.
Councilmember Mark Levine, chair of the City Council Health Committee, told Manhattan Community Board 2 the city must improve contact‑tracing cooperation, encourage testing and make isolation practicable to avoid a second wave of COVID‑19 as the city reopens.
Lede: Levine said the city has multiplied testing capacity since March and anyone can now be tested, but only about one‑third of people who test positive currently provide contacts to tracers — a shortfall that undermines the tracing program.
Why this matters: Tracing and the ability to isolate exposed people are central to preventing new outbreaks as the city reopens for business and public life. Levine emphasized the city’s offers of paid hotel isolation, food and laundry services for people who cannot quarantine at home — services he said too few residents were using.
Key points from the presentation - Testing: Diagnostic testing capacity is substantially expanded from March and is available to anyone; Levine recommended people who are in regular public contact seek testing every 1–2 weeks. - Tracing uptake: Only roughly a third of people with positive tests are sharing contacts with tracers; Levine stressed that community leaders can encourage neighbors to cooperate. - Isolation support: The city is offering free hotel rooms with food, prescriptions and laundry for people who cannot isolate at home. Levin said only a small fraction (about 40 people in hotels at the time of the meeting) were using those rooms and urged outreach and financial supports so hourly workers can accept isolation without losing wages.
Direct quote "Only a third of the people who get positive tests are sharing contacts with the contact tracers. The program is not going to work unless we improve that," Levine told the board.
Ending: Levine asked community leaders to spread the word that tracer calls are legitimate, to encourage testing and to press for income‑replacement policies that would make isolation feasible for hourly and essential workers.
