TYLER, Texas — The Smith County District Attorney's Office is working with the Joint Emergency Operation Center to help local health officials to help trace who may be at risk for infection.
“As of today, I am dedicating five of my seven investigators to assist the Emergency Operations Center in combating the COVID-19 outbreak,” Smith County District Attorney Jacob Putman said. “These five investigators will aid in contact tracing to help our public health system determine who may be at risk for infection.”
When a person tests positive for COVID-19, the person is interviewed about their recent activities and who the person may have come in contact with. The people who may have come in contact with an infected person are also interviewed about their recent activities. The process is called tracing. To keep investigators safe, most interviews will be conducted via phone or electronic communication.
According to the Smith County District Attorney's Office, the faster tracing happens, the better chance health officers can curb the spread of the virus.
"This is just extra work that we're taking on, because it's necessary," Putman said. "Even though they have plenty to do, we're going to ask them to do a little bit more to make sure Smith county systems are safe."
Smith County Judge Nathaniel Moran says the new investigators will help keep the community safer during the pandemic.
“During this trying time, our office has remained open, and we are still working to see that justice is done in our community,” Putman said. “While these investigators are assisting in our county’s response to the current crisis, the rest of our staff will continue to fight to keep our community safe from those who have broken the law.”