The Top Benefits of Contact Tracing and How It Can Safeguard Your Local Business

Are you worried about the status of your business following the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic?

Do your employees and customers feel safe at their workspace?

Never before in our lifetimes have we seen a pandemic of this magnitude, since the plague of 1346! The Coronavirus has become one of the deadliest and most devastating pandemics in recent times, affecting virtually all sectors.

With business owners urged to enforce various safety measures in the workplace, it is becoming more apparent that no one is safe from this deadly virus.

This brings us to the big question: Are you able to trace the contacts of infected employees in your workplace and notify them of possible exposure?

This is where the importance of contact tracing comes into play.

In this post, we discuss the role of contact tracing in slowing down the spread of COVID-19 and how you can implement this concept in your workplace to protect your employees and customers.

Here’s an outline of what we will cover:

#1: What is Contact Tracing?

#2: The Principles of Contact Tracing

#3: When to Initiate Contact Tracing

#4: Is Contact Tracing Training Important in the Workplace?

#5: Top Benefits of Contact Tracing

#6: Limitations of Contact Tracing

#7: Contact Tracing Tools

#1: What is Contact Tracing?

As suggested by the name, contact tracing is the systematic process of identifying people who may have come into contact with infected persons, and informing them of possible exposure. It is a tool for slowing down the transmission of infectious diseases, such as COVID-19.

By tracing the interactions between your employees, you can quickly identify infected persons in case of an outbreak in the workplace. 

With the right information at hand, you can take the necessary preventive measures like asking infected persons to self-isolate and not come to work. 

You can also follow up with clients who may have come into contact with infected employees and request them to isolate and seek medical attention immediately, to curb the spread of the disease.

Nevertheless, contact tracing is easier said than done. For you to trace interactions effectively, you need to invest in the right tools.

Consider this analogy. When all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. However, if your problem requires a screwdriver, it would be impossible to use the hammer.

This analogy applies to contact tracing as well. If you want to track interactions you need to use the appropriate tools for the job.

Fortunately, smartphones and digital gadgets like smartspace can help you trace and monitor contacts effectively to protect your workforce, clientele, business, and the community.

#2: The Principles of Contact Tracing

Whether you are operating a small business or managing a large blue-chip company, the principles of contact tracing are universal and remain the same.

The key concepts of contact tracing include:

• Tracking interactions

Tracking interactions and contact tracing are almost synonymous. You need to track interactions in the workplace before you can determine who possibly had contact with an infected employee.

• Tracing, identifying, and monitoring contacts

For contact tracing to deliver reliable results, you must first identify and monitor the likely contacts of infected persons. The whole point of this approach is to inform the contacts of possible exposure so that they can take appropriate action to prevent further transmission.

• Ensuring the sustainable quarantine of infected persons

The process of tracing and identifying contacts is just one part of the jigsaw. After diagnosing the contact, you must ensure that they have adequate access to urgent medical assistance and quarantine facilities. This goes a long way in preventing additional transmission.

• Protecting patient privacy

Patient confidentiality is a core principle of contact tracing. Even though we live in a modern age, infected persons are still at risk of being stigmatized and discriminated against. For this reason, you should uphold patient privacy, unless the individual says otherwise.

• Educating suspected contacts on the risks involved

Let’s face it. Although COVID-19 is no longer a mystery, many myths and misconceptions about the virus do exist. Therefore, it is important to notify contacts about possible exposure to the virus and educate them on the risks involved.

You should provide contacts with the correct information and support so that they can self-isolate and protect their loved ones from contracting the virus.

• Providing useful digital tools for contact tracing

The adoption of digital tools, such as smartspace can help contact tracers to track interactions and monitor contacts more effectively. These tools also provide an expanded reach, enabling tracers to track possible contacts quickly, in time to prevent additional cases of new infections.

• Expanding staffing resources

Contact tracing requires everyone to collaborate and work together to curb the spread of the Coronavirus. Infected persons need to cooperate and volunteer valid information to tracers to make it easy to identify and track possible contacts.

Moreover, all your employees need to comply with set rules and safety measures. However, they can only do this if you provide them with the right resources.

#3: When to Initiate Contact Tracing

Are you wondering about when the right time is to initiate contact tracing? 

Don’t waste another minute. You should start contact tracing right away, from the moment any of your employees test positive for COVID-19. 

Time is of the essence as far as identifying contacts is concerned. Any delay, however slight, could translate to dozens of new infections within days or even hours.

But first, you need the right tools since case investigation and contact tracing involves a wide range of activities.

For starters, your tracers need to interview the person with COVID-19. This person will then identify probable contacts who will be notified of possible exposure.

Tracing does not stop there. The relevant agencies have to provide the infected contacts with the necessary support throughout the 14-day quarantine period.

#4: Is Contact Tracing Training Important in the Workplace?

The importance of contact tracing cannot be underestimated. Since no proven vaccine or treatment is available for COVID-19 yet, we have to rely on other measures like social distancing, contact tracing, and wearing face masks to curb the spread of this deadly disease.

Although contact tracing training is primarily intended for healthcare providers, you can opt to train one or two of your employees to double as contact tracers.

According to a report by Reuters, over 9% of companies are already training their existing employees to become contact tracers. Also, 3% of the surveyed companies are planning to invest in wearable devices and smartphone apps to assist their contact tracing efforts.

Better still, you can invest in a smart gadget like smartspace to help with tracing the interactions in the workplace, while providing real-time data for the easy identification and monitoring of contacts.

#5: Top Benefits of Contact Tracing for Your Business

Now that you know about contact tracing, it’s time to explore some of the benefits this strategy has to offer for your business. In case you didn’t know, contact tracing is not only about curbing the spread of the virus but also about safeguarding your business from mandated shutdowns.

According to a recent survey, over half of the companies in the USA are already planning virus contact tracing for their current employees.

Here are the top benefits your business stands to gain by supporting contact tracing efforts:

• Support Phased Reopening of Businesses

Contact tracing programs are essential for the phased reopening of various businesses. By supporting the contact tracing efforts, your business will benefit from uninterrupted material and labor supplies. 

With other businesses opening their doors, customers are more likely to throng back thanks to the vibrant market space.

• Better Management of Social Distancing and Capacity

Contact tracing allows for better tracking of interactions. Administrators in charge of contact tracing can access and use real-time data to identify and track persons suspected of being in contact with an infected patient.

Moreover, contact tracing also allows you to proactively manage how many people occupy a particular work area on your premises at any given time. This allows you to safely and securely conduct business.

• Preventing Forced Closures and Shutdowns

From pubs to factories, nearly all types of businesses are legally required to adhere to various COVID-19 safety guidelines. 

Apart from enforcing social distancing and the wearing of masks, businesses have to record the contact details of visitors, customers, and employees.

Failure to comply with these measures means that the government will have no other option but to shut down your business. With this in mind, supporting contact tracing efforts can go a long way in protecting your business from forced closure.

• Increased Productivity 

If your employees feel safe at work, they are likely to put in more effort to deliver beyond your expectations. In any case, a safe and happy worker is a productive worker!

• Reducing Workplace Transmission

The number one benefit of contact tracing is to reduce workplace transmission. Recent studies show that contact tracing can reduce transmission by up to 85%.

Using the right tools, you can identify infected persons, isolate them quickly, trace their contacts, and notify them of possible exposure before recommending self-isolation.

• Practical Cost-Cutting Strategy

This might sound ironic, but the onset of COVID-19 could be a blessing in disguise for your business. By training your staff in contact tracing, you could save hundreds of dollars in hiring third-party contact tracers.

Moreover, your newly-trained contact tracers will have more skills to add to their resumes. For this reason alone, they will be forever grateful and remain loyal to your company.

“Do not save what is left after spending. Spend what is left after saving.” – Warren Buffet

#6: Limitations of Contact Tracing

As much as contact tracing is a reliable way of slowing the transmission of infectious diseases, it does have its limitations. 

Firstly, contact tracing is most effective with low infection rates, since you can carry out the necessary tests, track contacts, and notify them quickly. Regrettably, the infection rates have skyrocketed in recent times making it hard to trace contacts effectively.

Then again, the number of people trained in contact tracing is minimal. Many companies and businesses lack trained staff to handle contact tracing programs effectively.

Some people may also be asymptomatic even though they have the virus. This means they might spread the virus, albeit unknowingly, making it extremely challenging for contact tracers to track the origin of the first contact. 

However, with the emergence of tracking devices like smartspace, tracing asymptomatic persons does not have to be a huge concern.

#7: Contact Tracing Tools

Did you know that contact tracing tools fall into various categories? 

There is no one-size-fits-all type of tool that you can use to trace the contacts of infected persons. Each tool is tailored for a particular task in the contact tracing work chart.

The three categories of contact tracing tools include:

• Case Management Tools
• Medical Monitoring Tools
• Proximity Tracking Tools

 

To support contact tracing efforts, business owners need to embrace the use of various digital tools, such as smartspace, which is designed for tracking interactions in real-time.

So what’s the next step?

The overall impact of contact tracing cannot be understated. This tried and tested strategy stands out as one of the most effective methods for curbing the spread of the Coronavirus.

However, for you to enforce contact tracing strategies at your workplace you need to invest in the appropriate tools. smartspace is here to make it happen. Go for it today!

“Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes but they don’t quit.” – Conrad Hilton