Maine Governor Janet Mills says the state is expanding it’s contact tracing as it looks to limit the spread of coronavirus.

On Tuesday, Governor Mills announced that the Maine Department of Health and Human Services is expanding contact tracing by increasing the number of staff and volunteers, using new technology, and securing social services for those exposed to the virus who may need to self-isolate.

Contact tracing involves identifying, assessing, and protecting those who have been exposed to the virus.

As part of that effort, the state is deploying the “Sara Alert System”, which allows those who test positive for coronavirus to easily report their daily symptoms via web, text, email, or phone calls. It also allows hospitals and health systems to conduct contact tracing for their employees.

“Expanded testing and contact tracing are critical to both identifying and limiting the spread of COVID-19 in Maine,” said Governor Janet Mills. “By increasing the number of people conducting contact tracing and by deploying the new Sara Alert system to assist us, we can improve our efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus, protect the health of Maine people, and support our goal of safely restarting Maine’s economy.”

Maine DHHS Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew says the state’s current contact tracing team is comprised of 30 people. It’s looking to quadruple that number by enlisting 50 trained volunteers for at least 2 months and bringing on 125 new contracted staff for up to 12 months. She says the hiring will be staggered over time, based on coronavirus trends and new data. Training for volunteers is slated to begin on June 1st.

The news comes a week after the state also expanded it’s coronavirus testing capacity, thanks to a new partnership with IDEXX Laboratories.

Public health officials say increased testing as well as contact tracing are some of the crucial steps that need to be taken as states, including Maine, begin to reopen.