Social distancing monitors to contact tracers: New jobs stem from COVID-19 pandemic

While the coronavirus pandemic has forced millions of Americans into unemployment, some positions are more in demand than ever, and entirely new jobs have been created as a result of the health crisis.

Companies tout, and job postings show, there are unique employment opportunities available in these strange times.

‘Social distancing monitors’

Similar to “social distancing ambassadors,” of which outlets report there are at least 2,300 in New York City, a social distancing monitor makes sure people are following social distancing rules and staying six feet apart, whether it’s at a public park, a construction site, or a private business.

A job posting from a natural foods grocery chain in Oregon says “(the monitor) will be responsible for enforcing compliance with all … policies and procedures related to the COVID-19 Pandemic response,” as well as wiping down and disinfecting surfaces.

Canadian stores, including Loblaw, are hiring too.

Jeffrey Burnett, chief executive officer of Labor Finders recruiting service, told Bloomberg such roles are becoming increasingly common in the construction industry.

Also in demand are additional nursing home staff to monitor entrances, and plexiglass installation workers for offices, he told the outlet.

Cities such as Chicago are considering hiring people to enforce social distancing as they reopen and people begin flocking to their favorite public spaces, NBC reported.

Temperature takers

Temperature checks may soon become standard practice for anyone hopping a flight in the U.S., outlets report, but some employers also want to know if their employees are running a fever.

Many retailers are checking staff already or plan to when they reopen, outlets report.

Even Nevada brothels want to ensure the johns aren’t running too hot, KSNV reported.

Mark Scofield, a 67-year-old retired Air Force Special agent, gets paid $20 an hour to screen workers at a retail distribution site in Utah, according to Bloomberg, and 23-year-old Simone Williams makes the same money checking construction workers in Maryland.

Those working from home may see similar screening procedures in place when they return to the office, according to NPR.

Management will be taking steps, temperature checks likely among them, to make “employees confident that coming to work is something that they can and should do and feel safe about,” David Lewis, CEO of human resources consulting company OperationsInc, told NPR.

Contact tracers

The country needs a truly immense number of contact tracers — somewhere between 100,000 to 300,000, according to The New York Times.

In early May, there were only 11,000 contact tracers across the country, an NPR survey of 44 states determined.

Contact tracers work mostly by phone, and are tasked with finding people who may have been recently exposed to COVID-19 and ask them to get tested, or to quarantine if they’re already showing symptoms.

“If you can do contact tracing, you can get ahold of this before it runs through a community like wildfire,” Jessica Jaramillo, a contact tracer for the San Francisco Department of Public Health, told The New York Times. “Then you’re saving someone’s grandmother, or their uncle.”

Pay for the job ranges widely, depending on location and other factors. One job posting in Columbia, South Carolina, advertised multiple contact tracing positions from $15 an hour to $30.

Most typical hourly wages are $17 or to $25 an hour, The New York Times reported.

This story was originally published May 19, 2020 at 4:57 PM with the headline "Social distancing monitors to contact tracers: New jobs stem from COVID-19 pandemic."