The University of Utah Campus Contact Tracing Team, which was formed to help monitor individual and group exposure to the COVID-19 virus, has been one of the most dynamic and integrated Utah groups during the pandemic. However, despite their commitment and cohesion as a group, the team had never met in person—not, that is, until last Wednesday, when the prevalence of vaccinations and easing of restrictions allowed the team to come together outside of a Zoom call.
The group met for the first time since becoming a team in August 2020 in Sunnyside Park, near East High School in Salt Lake City. The team got together for a socially distanced picnic (except for a brief masked moment to take a picture) to celebrate their good work over the past nine months.
The course of the pandemic would have been much more dangerous for Utahns without the efforts of our Campus Contact Tracing Team. The department is incredibly grateful for the tireless work of our fellow employees in helping to keep our communities safe. We are also deeply indebted to the applied expertise of Sharon Talboys, PhD, MPH and Kimberley Shoaf, DrPH, MPH, who trained and led the group.