?Did Informal Contact Tracing Make COVID-19 Quarantines Better
Rottem Botton, M.Sc. student at School of Industrial & Intelligent Systems Engineering
Advisor: Prof. Eran Toch

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Abstract:
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries swiftly implemented contact tracing and quarantine measures as primary interventions to curb the spread of the virus. In Israel, official guidelines required self-isolation for anyone testing positive for COVID-19, returning from abroad, or coming into contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case. While formal contact tracing by health authorities, using mobile technology or manual methods, is widely explored, little is known about the extent and impact of informal contact tracing, which relies on direct interaction with an individual’s social networks and personal responsibility for voluntary quarantining. Based on a representative sample of Israeli adults (n = 506), our study examines the extent of informal contact tracing and voluntary quarantines, as well as their impact on people’s perceptions. Our findings show that informal contact tracing accounts for approximately one-third of the reported first quarantines among our participants. It is viewed as significantly more justified and slightly less distressful than those initiated due to formal contact tracing, even when controlling for factors such as trust in health authorities, stress, and demographics. These findings suggest that promoting positive freedom and social norms can have beneficial effects, many of which remain underexplored.

Bio:
Rottem Botton is an M.Sc. student at the School of Industrial Engineering & Intelligent Systems Engineering, where she researches impromptu contact tracing at the IWIT Lab under the supervision of Prof. Eran Toch. She holds a B.Sc. degree in Industrial Engineering and Management from Tel Aviv University.