COVID-19 News: Walz order gives emergency responders addresses of contagious COVID cases

The state Health Department can give public safety officials the addresses of contagious COVID-19 cases in Minnesota so emergency responders can take measures to protect themselves, under an executive order Governor Tim Walz issued late Friday.

The governor’s order requires the shared information remain confidential and be deleted when a person is no longer contagious. 9-1-1 dispatchers must try to avoid accessing the information by instead screening callers for whether they have symptoms.

The information can only be used to protect the health of first responders going to a particular address. And officials cannot use the information to refuse or delay their response to a call for help.