Health officials in Berlington County are urging residents to please cooperate with contact tracing efforts.

Dr. Herb Conaway, director of the Burlington County Health Department, says there's a rising number of people who are either hanging up on the contact tracing callers or refusing to provide information.

Conaway says those reasons are why the county's efforts to contain COVID-19 have slowed.

Officials say some people who test positive refuse to answer questions while others often think the call is spam and don't pick up the phone.

"As of a week or so ago we saw numbers that reached 40%, which is obvioiusly tragically high," says Conaway.

MORE: State officials warn public about possible contact tracing scams

Health officials say if you are asked personal or financial questions like your social security number you should hang up and call authorities. They say contact tracers will never ask those types of questions. Instead they might ask questions about where you have been and who you have been with.

"As part of the effort to prevent the spread of the disease we need to find out where you have been, where do you work with who do you work, did you go visit other family members or friends, who are they, where they live so we can develop a pattern of your movements and get in touch with those people," says Conaway.

Conaway says it's vital for people to try and help each other so please answer the call.

The Burlington County Health Department says the call will not come from a 1-800 number, it will instead by from a local area code.