Answer the Call
Protecting New Mexico with Contact Tracing
Contact tracing is how we keep our families safe, reopen New Mexico’s economy, and quickly contain the spread of COVID-19.
What can you do?
Answer the call when a contact tracer from the New Mexico Department of Health calls. The faster a contact tracer connects with you, the more people we can keep safe.
Your Privacy Is Our Priority
Contact tracing is confidential. Any personal information collected is used solely for protecting people close to you and containing the spread of COVID-19.
Your identity is never shared, and you will never be asked for your immigration status, Social Security number, financial information, or passwords.
3 Steps to Containing COVID-19
1. Get Tested
All testing is free. The New Mexico Department of Health encourages all individuals, with or without symptoms, to be tested to help protect yourself and your family.
2. Answer the Call
Protect your loved ones and your community by letting your New Mexico contact tracer know where you’ve been and with whom you’ve come into contact.
3. Take Action
We’re in this together. If you test positive, please stay home and stay safe. Your contact tracer will help you find medical support if you need it.
A Contact Tracer Will Call You If…
If you Tested Positive
Your contact tracer will advise you on how you can keep your family safe and ask about your symptoms.
They will provide information about available medical treatment.
They will also ask for your name and age, a list of locations you have recently visited, where you work, and people with whom you may have come into close contact.
Or you have been exposed
Your contact tracer will inform you about a potential exposure to someone who tested positive for COVID 19.
Contact tracers will never disclose the identity of the individual who may have exposed you to COVID-19.
They will explain how to get tested and what to do if you test positive.
They will also ask for your name and age, a list of locations you have recently visited, where you work, and people with whom you may have come into close contact.
Your contact tracer will keep your information confidential.
No one will ask you for your immigration status, Social Security number, financial information, or passwords.
To learn more about testing, visit TogetherNM.org
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Contact Tracing?
The purpose of contact tracing is to contain the spread of the virus. This process is managed by state health professionals (also known as contact tracers). They connect with individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 in order to discover other individuals with whom they may have come into contact. The contact tracers will then notify these individuals to inform them that may have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 and advise them to get tested and avoid potentially exposing others to the virus.
Is Contact Tracing new?
Contact tracing is a longstanding, proven technique that has successfully contained other communicable diseases, such as HIV, Tuberculosis, and Ebola.
How does Contact Tracing work in New Mexico?
New Mexico’s contact tracing system does not use a mobile app or cell phone tracking technology. Our system relies on public health representatives conducting private and personal conversations to discover contacts.
Why “Answer the Call”?
Contact tracing is essential to containing COVID-19, keeping our families safe, and reopening New Mexico’s economy. To contain the spread, our contact tracers must be able to notify people about their potential exposure to COVID-19 as quickly as possible.
Will an interpreter be provided if I need one?
Yes. Translators are available by request through the New Mexico Department of Health.
What will I be asked to do?
Let your contact tracer know how you’re feeling. They’ll let you know how best to protect yourself and your family. They’ll also ask where you’ve been and about any people with whom you have been in close contact. You may need to quarantine and/or take a test.
If I have to quarantine, will I lose my job?
No. The Families First Coronavirus Act and the CARES Act, under Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), protects your job if you’re in quarantine. If your employer closes due to COVID-19, the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions can guide you through financial assistance and benefits programs.
Is my information kept confidential?
Yes. Your identity and information will not be shared with anyone. Furthermore, contact tracers will never ask about your immigration status, Social Security number, financial information, or passwords.
If I tell you where I’ve been (i.e., restaurants), will the business be shut down?
In most cases, no. The New Mexico Department of Health or other state agency will direct the establishment on requirements for ceasing or limiting operations to the extent necessary to ensure protection of others. Also, to minimize the risk for others to be exposed, a business should wait 24 hours before following the CDC’s guidelines for cleaning and disinfecting.
Do I have to tell my employer?
You’re encouraged to notify your employer that you’ve either tested positive for COVID-19 or were exposed. That way, they can take steps to protect others. The New Mexico Department of Health may contact your employer if deemed critical to public health.
If I miss the call, can I call my contact tracer back?
No, but they will try to reach you again.
How do I know the person calling is not a scammer?
Contact tracers will reach out to you in 3 ways:
- a text message (“SMS”) with the short code 50358;
- via a phone call with either the caller ID “NM Dept Health” or;
- via the phone number (575) 213-5533.
Remember, contact tracers will never ask about your immigration status, Social Security number, financial information, or passwords.
Meet Your Contact Tracer
A Fellow New Mexican
Why am I calling? As a fellow New Mexican, I want what you want — to keep my friends and family safe. I want to slow the spread of Covid-19 in my community and my state. Let’s make a difference for New Mexico.
-Velma
Additional Resources
The New Mexico Department of Health provides detailed recommendations on safe practices for fighting back against COVID-19. For further information, visit https://cv.nmhealth.org/.
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