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Walz authorizes limited use of public health information by first responders

The order authorizes the Commissioner of Public Health to provide emergency and public safety workers with addresses containing contagious individuals.
Credit: AP
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz prepares to deliver his delayed State of the State address over YouTube from his residence in St. Paul, Minn., Sunday, April 5, 2020. (Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via AP, Pool)

ST PAUL, Minn. — Governor Tim Walz has issued Emergency Executive Order 20-32, which authorizes the limited sharing of public health information from the Commissioner of Public Health to first responders and the Department of Public Safety.

According to a release from the State of Minnesota's Executive Department, emergency personnel will be supplied with addresses containing individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 and are still contagious.

RELATED: Live updates: MDH shares latest developments in battle against COVID-19

The release says no identifying information will be shared beyond a person's address, and addresses can only be shared with the Department of Public Safety (DPS), 911 dispatchers and first responders.

Governor Walz believes this will enable these emergency workers to properly socially distance themselves, and preserve their own health, while preventing the spread of COVID-19.

The release states that only the addresses of individuals the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) had detected to have COVID-19 will be shared.

MDH is required by this order to notify DPS when it believes addresses no longer contain contagious individuals, at which point DPS is required to delete the information from their database. 

Emergency workers and public safety workers who receive the shared health information can only use that information to the extent it protects their own health and the health of their fellow workers. 

The order remains in effect until Walz's former peacetime emergency declaration (issued as Executive Order 20-01) is "terminated or rescinded by proper authority."

RELATED: MN governor declares 'peacetime emergency,' announces plan to fight spread of coronavirus

A full press release obtained by KARE 11 can be seen below, outlining Walz's new order. 

KARE 11’s coverage of the coronavirus is rooted in Facts, not Fear. Visit kare11.com/coronavirus for comprehensive coverage, find out what you need to know about the Midwest specifically, learn more about the symptoms, and see what companies in Minnesota are hiring. Have a question? Text it to us at 763-797-7215. And get the latest coronavirus updates sent right to your inbox every morning. Subscribe to the KARE 11 Sunrise newsletter here. Help local families in need: www.kare11.com/give11

The state of Minnesota has set up a hotline for general questions about coronavirus at 651-201-3920 or 1-800-657-3903, available 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

There is also a data portal online at mn.gov/covid19.

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