The governor has decreed that the locations of Covid patients will be given to first responders.
Not immigration status. Heavens, no. That’d put a “chlling effect” on their lives.
But letting them know if they have Covid?
Under Walz’s order, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) will share the addresses of COVID-19 infections that are still contagious with the Department of Public Safety (DPS), which will distribute the data to 911 dispatch centers. Dispatchers will share information with first responders called to one of the addresses.
The order goes into effect immediately and lasts the duration of the state of emergency declared by Walz.
The virus had infected 1,336 Minnesotans as of Friday and killed 57.
“This decision is not taken lightly,” said Walz’s Friday order. “…We must implement safeguards to ensure that no one abuses this data.”
Meaning: we need safeguards – but the policy is in effect anyway. Feel better?
You know me – always looking for the silver lining. Maybe this is it – the ACLU is actually fretting about civil liberties again:
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Minnesota has opposed sharing the data, noting that it won’t prevent infection because the count of positive cases is underrepresented due to a shortage of tests.
And boy howdy, do I ever wanna take a Covid test, so I can get a big scarlet “C” on my lapel.
I mean, when they’re available.
The growing list of civil rights violations that have been implemented for “the public good”, should be scaring the hell out of everyone. Mike Huckabee has been calling this out, in articles and interviews. for the last two weeks. He was on Fox & Friends this morning doing so.
So far, the two most egregious examples, both occurring in Democrat run states, are the house to house searches for New Yorkers in Rhode Island, because the governor is convinced that they are bringing the virus into the state and Michigan, where initially, she declared it a crime for doctors to prescribe and pharmacists to fill prescriptions for hydroxichloroquine. She also had a narc out your buddy for doing so order. She has since rescinded that edict, after even supporters accused her of playing god with people’s lives, but now, she and her politburo banned the sales of plant seeds, claiming that growing your own food was non essential. This is a classic illustration of the adage “people get the government they deserve” and the Michigan voters that put Whitmer in office, are getting it.
Regarding Rhode Island’s search and seizure order, I expect that to change soon as that edict has yielded the unexpected benefit of assisting ICE by locating many illegal aliens being apprehended and assigned for deportation.
The Scarlet C is a good start but it’s not sufficient. What if the diseased person is out in public? How are the rest of us supposed to protect ourselves?
They should be required to ring a bell and call out “Unclean!” For that matter, why should they be allowed among decent people at all? Why don’t we pack them off to a Covid Colony where they can live with their own kind and keep the rest of us safe?
There’s historical precedent.
JD;
That bell ringing comment reminded me of “bring out your dead” scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
The implementation of this rule will necessarily be racist.
My goodness. One wonders what civil right might frighten the police next, and will need to be waived.
HIPAA was the first thought in my mind after I heard about this. Then I remembered: Per Twila Brase, HIPAA only spanks individual people for sharing other people’s health data. Organzations? It’s a free-for-all.
On a side note, if doctors somehow succeeded in declaring gun ownership a mental illness, that would mean that HIPAA would prevent the government from creating any registry of gun owners, wouldn’t it? Just thinking in black and white bits here…..
Also worth noting is that given that a lot of COVID-19 infections result in hospitalization, do we really need to tell the police that they could come into contact with sick people when they do their duties at a hospital? Walz is giving Gov. Jimbeam a certain competition for “dumbest proclamations”, I think.