COVID-19 first appeared in the Netherlands at the end of February 2020. North Brabant province was the epicentre, which led the municipal health service (GGD) 'Hart voor Brabant' to register 1495 cases in a single month in its area. As the GGD spearheaded the fight, it was faced with a rapid increase to a major epidemic. We describe the experiences of the GGD 'Hart voor Brabant' on the basis of a GGD's responsibilities. An epidemic consists of several stages, each with its own focus with respect to source and contact tracing and diagnostic testing. An epidemic of this magnitude is usually associated with common healthcare challenges, for example limited availability of diagnostic resources and personal protective equipment. Now that the government is easing the measures, early source identification and rapid start-up of contact tracing are particularly important. The big challenge now is to convince COVID-19 patients' contacts to stick to all control measures.