Int. No. 1961-A

By Council Members Torres, Kallos, Ayala, Rivera, Vallone, Rosenthal, Maisel and Chin

A Local Law in relation to public reporting on contact tracing for COVID-19

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

Section 1. a. Definitions. For the purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:

Age range. The term “age range” means the following age categories: 0 to 17 years old; 18 to 44 years old; 45 to 64 years old; 65 to 74 years old; and 75 years or older.

Comorbidity. The term “comorbidity” means the following disease categories: (i) respiratory disease; (ii) cardiovascular disease; (iii) diabetes; and (iv) other reported health conditions.

Contact tracing. The term “contact tracing” means the process of identifying individuals who may have had contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19, and consequently educating, testing, quarantining, or monitoring such identified individuals for the purpose of containing transmission of such disease.

COVID-19. The term “COVID-19” means the disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

Department. The term “department” means the department of health and mental hygiene.

Occupational setting. The term “occupational setting” means one of the following categories: (i) healthcare setting; (ii) congregate setting; and (iii) other setting.

Program. The term “program” refers to any COVID-19 contact tracing program established at the direction or request of the mayor.

Wraparound services. The term “wraparound services” means any services to facilitate quarantine or isolation, including, but not limited to, hotel accommodations or other shelter, food or grocery provision, and medical referrals.

b. Contact tracing reporting. The department or another agency designated by the mayor shall cause the information described in this subdivision to be posted conspicuously on the city’s website. Such reports shall begin one week after the effective date of this local law and be updated weekly thereafter, until such time as is practicable for the department or another agency designated by the mayor to cause such information to be posted on a daily basis, provided that such daily reporting shall begin no later than six weeks after the effective date of this local law. Information reported on a daily basis shall be as up-to-date as practicable.  In causing such reports to be posted, the department or another agency designated by the mayor may seek the assistance of the health and hospitals corporation. Such reports shall include:

1. The number of persons employed or contracted by the program to conduct contact tracing, disaggregated by languages spoken and zip code of residence;

2. The number of persons identified to the program who have tested positive for currently having COVID-19 by molecular testing, disaggregated by zip code, race, ethnicity, gender, age range, COVID-19 symptoms present in the last 14 days, to the extent available, and whether such persons were referred to wraparound services;

3. The number of individuals identified by the program who may have had contact with a person who has tested positive for currently having COVID-19 by molecular testing, disaggregated by zip code, race, ethnicity, gender, age range, whether they tested positive for currently having COVID-19 or experienced COVID-19 symptoms within the last 14 days, to the extent available, and whether such individuals were referred to wraparound services; and

4. The number of individuals identified by the program who may have had contact with a person who has tested positive for currently having COVID-19 that the program attempted to contact and the number of such individuals who were successfully contacted.

c. Comorbidity and occupational setting contact tracing reporting. The department or another agency designated by the mayor shall cause the information described in this subdivision to be posted conspicuously on the city’s website. Such reports shall begin two weeks after the effective date of this local law and be updated weekly thereafter. In causing such reports to be posted, the department or another agency designated by the mayor may seek the assistance of the health and hospitals corporation. Such reports shall include:

1. The number of persons identified to the program who have tested positive for currently having COVID-19 by molecular testing, disaggregated by occupational setting and comorbidity, to the extent available; and

2. The number of individuals identified by the program who may have had contact with a person who has tested positive for currently having COVID-19 by molecular testing, disaggregated by occupational setting and comorbidity, to the extent available.

d. Privacy. Reports required pursuant to this section shall not contain identifying information as defined in section 23-1201 of the administrative code of the city of New York. If a category to be reported contains fewer than five individuals or contains an amount that would allow another category that contains fewer than five individuals to be deduced, the number shall be replaced with a symbol.

e. The data required to be reported by subdivisions b and c of this section shall be archived in a machine-readable table available on the city’s website.

§ 2. This local law takes effect immediately, provided that: (i) the first report required by section one of this local law shall be due no earlier than June 22, 2020; and (ii) subdivisions b and c of section one of this local law shall expire one year after it takes effect.

AM/SIL/ZH

LS #14659

5/20/20 7:30 pm