Stanton: Mobilize National Guard to Meet Arizona's Urgent Contact Tracing Needs

Press Release

Rep. Greg Stanton today called for the governor to assign members of the Arizona National Guard to a new mission: Immediately support state and county efforts to contact trace the spread of COVID-19.

Stanton's call to action builds on his five-step plan, released Sunday, which outlined actions state leaders should take to save lives, including urgently prioritizing contact tracing.

As Arizona's rate of new infections rate spirals out of control, county public health departments --which have been charged with the task of contact tracing--are not yet ready to keep up with the pace. In the last 48 hours, Arizona reported 4,219 new COVID-19 cases, marking the two highest single-day totals since the state began reporting data. There have been 12,628 new cases reported in the last week.

Guard members could be trained and begin contact tracing efforts within 48 hours. As counties staff up to appropriate levels, Guard members would be phased out of the task and returned to their normal assignment.

"Each time the state fails to completely trace who an infected person came into contact with, it puts more lives at risk," Stanton said. "So far, contact tracing efforts in Arizona and Maricopa County have not been met with the urgency the situation demands. They're woefully inadequate."

"National Guard members know how to handle a crisis. They can get to work right away and give counties the help they need during this public health emergency. This is the most acute crisis our state has ever faced--if there was ever a moment for an all-hands-on-deck approach, it's now."

Currently, there are 1,000 federally-supported guardsmen and women across the state activated and available to support local public health officials. Additionally, Arizona has about 1,600 Medical Reserve Corps volunteers who stand alongside the Guard ready to help.

The CDC considers contact tracing a "core disease control measure" and a "key strategy for preventing further spread of COVID-19."

Today, Arizona does not have enough contact tracers to do the job, and lacks the infrastructure to put them to work. Although the state is partnering with the nonprofit CDC Foundation to fill the gaps in its county health departments, Stanton's office has spoken with departments who said that those looking to become contract tracers will not even be able to apply for positions for two or three more weeks.

Stanton previously called for Gov. Doug Ducey to activate the National Guard on Mar. 18 when the coronavirus pandemic first hit Arizona. The governor activated the Guard the following day. Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen organized under Arizona's Joint Task Force are now assisting all fifteen counties and multiple tribal nations with response efforts.

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