Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Contact Tracing Limits COVID-19 Cases in Northern Indian State

Anjana Pasricha

   NEW DELHI - When COVID-19 cases started surfacing in India in March,
   India's northern state of Himachal Pradesh went into a stringent
   lockdown as soon as it identified its first two cases.

   Worries were high because picturesque towns in the state, nestled along
   Himalayan slopes, receive many domestic and foreign tourists -- India's
   initial infections came through overseas travelers.

   The state took on the challenge of controlling the infection by putting
   in place a system of contact tracing involving tracking and testing
   anyone who had been in contact with an infected person to help break
   the chain of transmission.

   "As soon as we get a positive, within an hour or half an hour we are
   able to trace the entire contacts using digital technology, and the
   very next day we get them tested," said Rakesh Prajapati, the district
   collector in Kangra, the state's largest district.