NORFOLK – The Elkhorn Logan Valley Public Health Department stated that it would no longer release specific COVID-19 numbers related to the Tyson Fresh Meats’ pork processing plant in Madison. During his press conference on Wednesday, Governor Ricketts stated that it is important for the state to follow the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which protects individuals’ medical records and other personal health information. Specifically, the Governor said, “unless the person who works for the employer specifically tells the employer they have coronavirus, and gives them permission to release that, the employer can’t do anything about that.” Thus, even if the state was able to ask for the information from the companies, there is no guarantee that the information would be reliable.

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