(St. Paul, MN) – Governor Walz issued his 34th Executive Order on Friday the 10th, stating that COVID-19 infection data may be released to the Commissioner of Public Safety and put to use for first responders. It was issued due to first responders using PPE out of a need for caution. Senator Andrew Mathews (R-Princeton) responded to the order with the following statement –

 

“Our first responder’s need for safety is important as they proceed with their vital work. The Governor’s most recent Executive Order, however, goes beyond mere safety and results in unconstitutional breaches of privacy.

 

The Department of Health does not release health records to law enforcement for any other highly infectious disease. Right now, first responders are treating every first contact as if COVID-19 were a factor, and they ought to continue doing so.  There are presumed positive cases that aren’t being tested, so first responders will need to treat each situation as potentially positive, anyway.  This order will cause people to become skittish about getting tested, causing skewed data.  It also sets a terrible precedent for any future flu season or epidemic, which is why the legislature did not approve this request when it was presented several weeks ago.

 

Governor Walz doing this via Executive Order, despite warnings, shows that it is time for the House and Senate to end his emergency authority.  No one should feel comfortable with broad powers having access to their medical records and data. This order is a heinous abuse of power and released despite the warnings of health officials and the legislature.”