NYC Bringing On 1,000 Health Workers br for Coronavirus Tracing Initiative The plan was announced by br Mayor Bill de Blasio in a news briefing. Bill de Blasio, via briefing de Blasio added that hiring for these br "disease detectives" extends through br May and will start immediately. Those with the skills required can br apply through Fund for Public Health. de Blasio explains that the tracers will identify br certain people who have been in contact br with coronavirus patients. Bill de Blasio, br via briefing The strategy comes a week after former br New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg br said he would help start a tracing program. According to CNBC, over 158,000 people in br America's largest city have contracted coronavirus. As of April 27, de Blasio says that the br number of hospitalizations and those br in intensive care are declining. He adds that the city soon hopes to sample br over 10,000 people per week with new br self-swab and saliva tests.