You are given a text that consists of multiple sentences. Your task is to perform abstractive summarization on this text. Use your understanding of the content to express the main ideas and crucial details in a shorter, coherent, and natural sounding text.

CITY OF PEARLAND, Texas, Oct. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --AM TRACE LLC, a national, private-sector leader that helps state and local governments accelerate the effectiveness of their public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic through Case Investigation and Community Contact Tracing, announced the City of Pearland, Texas, has awarded a contract for COVID-19 research, analysis, tracking and public health consultation. AM TRACE ("TRACE") improves public health safety through innovative programmatic pandemic response, disease surveillance, and epidemiology for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. Leaders at Pearland will work with TRACE, the expert public health solutions provider, to enhance understanding of how to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the Pearland community and determine how to reopen services and businesses safely. As the State of Texas moves to reopen, children return to schools, and public facilities reopen, Pearland's public-private partnership with TRACE will provide the City with science-driven critical data to empower officials to deploy common-sense solutions to help protect the public and slow the spread of the pandemic. Erin Thames, TRACE's Chief Operating Officer, stated, "We are excited about the opportunity to support the proactive management approach by the City of Pearland. This innovative partnership will leverage TRACE's proven expertise to help residents receive the most up-to-date information on the COVID-19 pandemic and make the most informed decisions based on evidence-based data. Our goal is to help the City of Pearland to use this useful information to guide better and faster decision making to protect the health of all members of the community." As the City continues to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, Mayor Reid has decided to extend TR-8, the Health & Safety Executive Order recommending the use of face coverings, to ensure the continued safety and well-being of the citizens of Pearland. This decision was made after careful consideration by the City of Pearland's leadership and the consultation of TRACE's public health experts. See City of Pearland Release: https://www.pearlandtx.gov/Home/Components/News/News/4483/ About AM TRACE ("TRACE"): TRACE is a trusted, national pandemic solutions provider that delivers programmatic public health services to state and local governments through measurable and accountable epidemiology, disease surveillance, and public health policy that mitigate risks to community health and safety. TRACE's innovative, evidence-based scientific approach and proven capability to rapidly deploy comprehensive contact tracing solutions to local communities has earned its national reputation as the "go-to" expert firm for public health agencies seeking effective ways to manage the complexities of COVID-19 response. For more information, visit our web site at www.am-trace.co or contact us at (301) 246-0856. This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com. SOURCE AM TRACE Related Links http://www.am-trace.co

Answer: AM TRACE, National Leader that Helps State & Local Governments Accelerate Rapid Pandemic Response & Community Contact Tracing, Hired by Texas' City of Pearland to Improve Public Health Safety Outcomes AM TRACE ("TRACE") improves public health safety through innovative programmatic pandemic response, disease surveillance, and epidemiology for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases for State and Local Governments for effective crisis response.