#NYC’s coronavirus contact tracers told not to ask if individual attended protests

Mayor de Blasio has expressed concern that the George Floyd protests could boost the coronavirus pandemic just as New Yorkers have finally gained the upper hand — but City Hall doesn’t seem too interested in finding out for sure.

Workers for the city’s contact tracing program are told not to ask those who’ve tested positive for the bug whether they’ve taken part in the demonstrations, instead relying on them to cough up the information themselves, officials said.

“We’re doing everything we can to keep New Yorkers safe while respecting individual privacy,” said de Blasio spokeswoman Avery Cohen.

“Over the course of their interview with a tracer, a person may be asked if they were in a large crowd or event in recent weeks, with full confidence that any information they share will be protected under the fullest extent of the law.”

While there is no specific directive barring tracers from asking about protest participation, Cohen separately told The City, which first reported the indirect approach, that people won’t be asked.

So far, the city has not seen a significant spike since the protests, as some had feared, which experts have attributed to a high percentage of mask usage among participants and the open air.

But both City Councilmembers and health professionals said that the question should still be asked.

“I understand that they . . . may be concerned that asking someone if they’ve gone to a protest could make people distrustful,” said Stephen Levin (D-Brooklyn). “I think it should come up in the course of conversation.”

Added Dr. Jake Deutsch, the cofounder and clinical director of the city’s Cure Urgent Care centers, “It would make logical sense that would be something to include if you were doing a survey to determine risk.

“It is certainly something everyone should be thinking about.”

Additional reporting by Nolan Hicks