On Wednesday evening, the Star Tribune reported that officials with the Minnesota Department of Health will not disclose the names or locations of long-term care facilities where residents or staff have tested positive for COVID-19. In response, Senator Karin Housley, chair of the Senate Family Care and Aging Committee, issued the following statement:

“I am uncomfortable with state officials withholding the names and locations of long-term care facilities with confirmed cases of COVID-19. We can be, and must be, transparent and forthcoming in a way that protects an individual’s right to privacy. Therefore, I am asking Governor Walz and the Minnesota Department of Health to immediately disclose the names and locations of long-term care facilities where a resident or staff member has tested positive for COVID-19 – and that this remain the administration’s policy moving forward. 

“As Minnesotans confront a new reality, access to information is critical as we make decisions for ourselves and our loved ones. We must make full disclosure the standard in Minnesota, just as they have done in Colorado, Oregon, and other states hit by the coronavirus. Withholding this information only brings unnecessary grief and frustration to many Minnesota families. In the midst of an unprecedented crisis, transparency has arguably never been more important.”

Senator Karin Housley, of St. Marys Point, represents the Forest Lake area and the St. Croix River Valley in the Minnesota Senate. Senator Housley is chairwoman of the Family Care and Aging Committee and is an assistant majority leader.