Health Department Checklist: Developing a 

Case Investigation & Contact Tracing Plan

for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Case investigation and contact tracing are well-honed skills that adapt easily to new public health demands and are effective tools to 

slow the spread of COVID-19 in a community. Thoughtful planning can help ensure that these activities facilitate compassionate care 

for the people affected by COVID-19 and also prevent community transmission of the virus. 

This checklist is a supplement to CDC’s Health Departments: Interim Guidance on Developing a COVID-19 Case Investigation & 

Contact Tracing Plan and is a tool that can assist health departments in developing a comprehensive plan. This tool does not describe 

mandatory requirements or standards; rather, it highlights important areas for consideration. 

For additional information, users can access the corresponding section of the guidance document listed in each header (i.e., Guidance 

Section #).

COVID-19 case investigation and contact tracing activities will vary based on the level of community transmission, characteristics of 

the community and their populations, and the local capacity to implement both case investigation and contact tracing.

Scaling Up Staffing Roles Involved in Case Investigation & Contact Tracing (Guidance Section II)

Staffing Plan Completed In Progress Not Started

Estimate # of case investigators/contact tracers needed

Recruit and hire surge workforce

- Include consideration for culturally and linguistically diverse populations that the jurisdiction serves

Develop organizational structure (identification of staff who will perform key roles identified in CDC guidance)

Training Completed In Progress Not Started

Develop training plan for current and new case investigators and contact tracers, including supervisors/leads

- Include knowledge-based and skills-based training as well as opportunities for continuous and

peer-to-peer learning

Determine how training will be delivered

Determine how training will be tracked to ensure all staff are trained

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Case Investigation & Contact Tracing Activities (Guidance Section IV & Guidance Section V)

Case Investigation & Contact Tracing Strategy Completed In Progress Not Started

Define close contact and contact elicitation window

Develop criteria for discontinuation of self-isolation and self-quarantine

Develop testing strategy for: 

- Suspected and probable cases 

- Asymptomatic and symptomatic contacts

- Outbreaks in congregate settings

- Possibly for community at-large

Develop case investigation strategy to prioritize cases if unable to investigate all confirmed and probable cases (triaging 

protocol likely needed)

Develop close contact monitoring strategy to prioritize close contacts to monitor and/or modify intensity of monitoring 

depending on public health resources available

Program Workflow Completed In Progress Not Started

Describe how cases are identified in your jurisdiction’s data management system (case report CMR, lab test, other)

Describe how case interview assignments are made

Diagram and/or describe in detail the program workflow with surge staff and their supervision incorporated

Procurement Completed In Progress Not Started

Procure any needed supplies, including PPE, COVID-19 kits for patients and contacts, materials/equipment for case 

investigation and contact tracing staff (e.g., laptops, tablets, cell phones)

Laboratory Services Completed In Progress Not Started

Establish linkage to testing sites

Develop understanding of statewide laboratory capacity and laboratory turnaround time for results reporting

Identify SARS-CoV-2 tests in use by laboratories serving the jurisdiction

Prototcols Completed In Progress Not Started

Develop protocol for triaging cases

- Obtaining necessary information to inform triaging

- Determining case assignment

Develop case investigation protocol

- Can include interview guides, call scripts
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Prototcols Completed In Progress Not Started

- Protocol covers:

› Confidential notification

› Risk assessment

› Self-isolation instructions including any daily monitoring

› Linkage to self-isolation support services and medical services (if needed)

› Linkage to testing (if needed and available)

› Close contact elicitation

› Discontinuation of self-isolation

- Specimen collection for testing (if applicable to role), proper PPE use

- Case investigation when patients are unable to participate (including minors); proxy interviews

- Use of data collection forms and tools

- Establish timelines for 1st contact interviews

- Develop goals for timeliness of interviews

Develop contact tracing protocol

- Can include interview guides, call scripts

- Protocol covers: 

› Confidential notification

› Risk assessment

› Self-quarantine instructions including daily monitoring

› Linkage to self-quarantine support services and medical services (if needed)

› Linkage to testing (if available)

› Discontinuation of self-quarantine

- Contact tracing activities when contacts are minors

- Specimen collection for testing (if applicable to role), proper PPE use

- Use of data collection forms and tools

- Establish timelines for 1st contact interviews

- Develop goals for timeliness of interviews

Case Investigation & Contact Tracing Activities (Guidance Section IV & Guidance Section V) continued
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Prototcols Completed In Progress Not Started

Develop protocol for assessing need and eligibility of patients and contacts for support services, triaging requests,

and providing linkage to needed services

Develop protocol for medical monitoring of patients with COVID-19 who are at higher risk for severe disease

Develop protocol for using interpretation services if case investigator/contact tracer is not fluent in primary language

of patient with COVID-19 or close contact

Develop protocol for providing case investigation and contact tracing services to people who are deaf or who have 

hearing loss

Develop protocol for serving public health orders for isolation and quarantine, if applicable

Outbreaks (Guidance Section VI)

Complex Investigations Completed In Progress Not Started

Develop guidance for handling complex investigations (e.g., outbreaks in congregate living or workplace settings)

- Formation of interdisciplinary team(s)

- Triage protocol for handing over investigations to team

- Plan for surge staffing if needed

Special Considerations (Guidance Section VII)

Prototcols Completed In Progress Not Started

Develop protocol for managing case investigations when a patient is unable to participate (e.g., cognitively impaired, 

deceased, intubated, unconscious, a minor)

Develop protocol for interjurisdictional case investigation and contact tracing

Develop protocol for case investigation and contact tracing for flights (or other mode of public transportation) arriving 

in the US or between US states, or cruise ships arriving at US ports of entry

Building Community Support (Guidance Section VIII)

Communications and Community Engagement Strategy Completed In Progress Not Started

Develop a communications and community engagement strategy

- Engage local community leaders, public officials, and influencers

- Develop clear, empowering messages that create awareness of case investigation and contact tracing activities

and encourage acceptance

› Also share messages that dispel misinformation and direct public to reliable sources

- Use all available communication channels to reinforce messages

Case Investigation & Contact Tracing Activities (Guidance Section IV & Guidance Section V) continued
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Communications and Community Engagement Strategy Completed In Progress Not Started

- Ensure messages and materials are culturally sensitive

- Tailor messages to reach specific audiences, including vulnerable populations in the community

- Develop or adapt existing health education materials to share with patients and close contacts

› Translate into primary languages of affected community members (also consider translating data

collection instruments)

› Include materials for low literacy levels and that are graphics-based (more images than text)

- Identify communication avenues (social media, newspapers, TV news stories, billboards, TV ads)

Data Management (Guidance Section IX)

Data Management Infrastructure Completed In Progress Not Started

Develop and implement data management infrastructure

- Laboratory, provider, and contact case reports should be transmitted electronically and seamlessly imported

into the system in an automated fashion

- Develop modules for:

› Case investigations of confirmed and probable cases, 

› Patient risk assessment (including contact elicitation),

› Contact investigation (including risk assessment)

› Should be editable without the need for vendors/contractors

› Should be able to link multiple individuals within the system

- Establish user roles in data management system

- Develop routine canned reports for feedback to staff

- Develop routine canned reports to review program successes and identify areas for improvement

- Develop interview forms for patients and close contacts that incorporate critical data elements

- Collaborate with healthcare providers for data sharing (e.g., access to electronic health records)

- Ensure that local data security and confidentiality standards are being met

Building Community Support (Guidance Section VIII) continued
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Evaluating Success (Guidance Section X)

Evaluation and Quality Improvement Completed In Progress Not Started

Develop plan for evaluation and quality improvement

- Consider setting targets for select metrics

- Select process and outcome metrics to routinely review

- Use reports to identify areas for training and help leadership identify any necessary program adjustments

- Identify staff member who will run reports

- Identify staff who will receive reports

- Determine frequency reports will be run

Develop protocol for supervisory review and feedback on case and contact investigations

Confidentiality and Consent (Guidance Section XI)

Security and Confidentiality Completed In Progress Not Started

Develop plan addressing security and confidentiality

- Assess standards currently in place to protect patient information and determine if modifications are needed for 

COVID-19

Develop Protocols for:

- Security of confidential case investigation and contact tracing information

- Maintaining confidentiality, including legal requirements for public health personnel

Support Services to Consider (Guidance Section XII)

Support Services Completed In Progress Not Started

Develop plan for providing support services

- Assess services available for patients, contacts, and their families

- Fill critical gaps in wraparound services

- Establish eligibility criteria

- Provide alternate housing to support the isolation of patients and quarantine of close contacts who are unable to 

do so safely at their home

- Provide telemedicine safety net pool of providers for on-call clinical consult with patients and contacts who do not 

have a primary healthcare provider

- Partner with local community groups and organizations that can help support specific populations

- Establish processes for connecting patients and contacts to support services