Public health authorities have said that an essential part of the effort to contain coronavirus outbreaks is to institute a system of contact tracing across the nation. The Centers for Disease Control and others recommend that up to 300,000 contact tracers be hired and the federal government is providing funding to states and localities to initiate these programs.
Before we blindly rush into this process, Washington should require that this effort not result in a permanent expansion of government at the state and local levels. Contact tracing efforts will likely be needed over the next 12-24 months. Yet, some states and localities are treating this crisis as an opportunity to create new government jobs, despite the temporary nature of the task. With many states and localities struggling in meeting pension and retiree health obligations, it makes no sense to expand government payrolls, when private contractors are ready and able to perform such tasks.
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