Gov. Jay Inslee believes that individuals will be more cooperative with COVID-19 investigations if their privacy is protected. | Stock photo
Gov. Jay Inslee believes that individuals will be more cooperative with COVID-19 investigations if their privacy is protected. | Stock photo
Gov. Jay Inslee recently issued a proclamation in regards to the protection of personal information and the scope of the state’s contact tracing efforts, according to a news release from the Governor's Office.
The Governor's Proclamation 20-64 will protect personally identifiable information including names, birth dates, addresses, photographs and other such information collected by COVID-19 case investigators from being released to the public.
"The success of the response to the COVID-19 epidemic depends in part on the free flow of information and individuals’ willingness to share information and cooperate with public health authorities," Inslee said in the news release. "Ensuring the protection of a person’s personally identifiable information may determine whether that person will fully cooperate with COVID-19 case investigators and contact tracers."
The proclamation does not include additional exemptions for employees or volunteers that are conducting the contact tracing work, as the personal information of public employees and volunteers is already protected by the Public Records Act.
“While we believe that COVID-19 case investigation and contact tracing information and the personally identifiable information that is gathered as a part of that work is already exempt under the Public Records Act, we need certainty because ensuring the protection of a person’s personally identifiable information is critical to our COVID-19 efforts,” Secretary of Health John Wiesman said in the release.
The proclamation is set to expire on Aug. 29.
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