Murphy can't figure out why 60% of new jerseyans won't answer his covid-19 contact tracer phone calls

Murphy Can’t Figure Out Why 60% of New Jerseyans Won’t Answer His COVID-19 Contact Tracer Phone Calls

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1 min read
October 27, 2020

TRENTON, NJ – Few people in New Jersey are answering their phone when Phil Murphy’s army of almost 2,000 contract tracers make their calls and even fewer are giving them information if they happen to get caught off guard.  Murphy said this apathy towards contact tracing is vital to keep New jersey safe.   In a state of 8,000,000 people 260,000 have downloaded the Murphy contact tracing COVID-19 to their phones, another sore spot for the governor.

“One plan that we have had in place and in motion is our community contact tracing corps, which currently includes a total of 1,906 contact tracers statewide. That’s an average of more than 21 per 100,000 residents in each county,” Murphy said.  “Over the last reporting period, which was October 10th to October 17th, our tracers were able to follow up in more than two-thirds of cases, and 55% of cases were followed up within that crucial first 24 hours. We do, however, continue to have challenges in getting those our contact tracers speak with to provide contacts for follow up, as 58% of those contacted during this period refused to cooperate with our contact tracers.”

Murphy urged residents to take the call…because, after all, they are from the government and here to help you.

“Come on, folks. Again, I urge everyone to take the call and cooperate with our contact tracers. Nobody is on a witch hunt and no one has any concern other than protecting your health, your family’s health and your community’s health, period,” Murphy said.

Murphy also said to go ahead and download that new app he rolled out that will track your movement and let you know if you come into contact with somebody who has or had COVID-19.

“And I further encourage you to download our COVID Alert NJ smartphone app and add your phone to our fight against COVID-19. So far, the app has been downloaded more than 260,000 times and by the way, each new download is another way for us to trace COVID-19 and keep our community safe. COVID Alert NJ is available for download from both the Apple App and Google Play stores,” he added.

Phil Stilton

Phil Stilton is the Editor and Publisher of Shore News Network, an independent digital newsroom providing original reporting on New Jersey, national news, government, public policy, public safety, courts, and community affairs.

As founder of the publication, Stilton leads editorial strategy, investigative reporting, and daily newsroom operations while overseeing coverage that reaches millions of readers annually.

With extensive experience covering municipal government, county government, state legislatures, elections, law enforcement, emergency management, and public records, Stilton specializes in translating complex government actions into clear, factual reporting. His work frequently relies on primary source documents, including court filings, legislation, public meeting records, election finance disclosures, government databases, police reports, and Freedom of Information and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. He has reported extensively on local government accountability, taxpayer spending, campaign finance, public corruption investigations, infrastructure, public safety, and the policies affecting New Jersey residents.

Under Stilton's editorial leadership, Shore News Network has grown into one of New Jersey's largest independent digital news organizations, publishing thousands of original news articles each year while providing breaking news coverage, investigative reporting, and analysis across state and local government. The publication's reporting is routinely sourced from official government agencies, public officials, court records, and firsthand documentation, with a commitment to transparency, attribution, corrections when warranted, and clearly distinguishing factual reporting from opinion.

Stilton's journalism follows established newsroom standards emphasizing accuracy, verification, fairness, and accountability. Every effort is made to verify information through official records and multiple reliable sources before publication. His reporting is intended to provide readers with timely, well-documented information that helps them understand the issues affecting their communities, while maintaining editorial independence from political parties, government agencies, advocacy organizations, and commercial interests.

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