By: Diane Benjamin
Did you know if you test positive for COVID your rights to privacy will be violated?
Even though the McLean County Health Department says to stay home until you have been fever free for 3 days and at least 7 days since symptoms first appeared, Metcom and Bloomington Dispatch will know about your diagnosis for 30 days. Of course that’s 30 days if someone is regularly deleting tags they placed on addresses.
What will law enforcement do if you are caught outside your house while a tag is on your address? We don’t know, maybe that hasn’t happened.
Government has decided a disease with an extremely low death rate warrants violating your rights. It’s becoming a pattern.
Sources:
1)
See page 2: When does home isolation end? https://health.mcleancountyil.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3939/Community-Based-Testing-Sites-Test-and-Result-Info-Sheet
2)
Proof Metcom and Bloomington Dispatch are notified if you test positive:
These are Memorandum of Understanding the McLean County Health Department signed with both Bloomington and Metcom:
Source: PDF pages 22-25 https://health.mcleancountyil.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05132020-252
If you aren’t familiar with Metcom, they dispatch first responders everywhere in the County except Bloomington.
Maybe the risk of getting over the virus and not seeing a doctor is better than being placed into the system. If you get the virus and don’t get better than there will always be plenty of space at the near empty hospitals. It is already difficult for family members to coax people to the doctor how will this make seeking medical help?
I think Metcom is notified about people who test positive is so EMTs can have and use the appropriate PPE. I also think that Public Safety is using specific transportation units for COVID patients which are then disinfected immediately after transport.
This is not really a HIPPA violation when used during an extensive public health event. The practice is to keep the service providers safe. That is also why there is an expiration date.
Why don’t they just always be safe?
PPE equipment used for COVID is expensive. The disinfection of vehicles should be standard. Maybe from now on, everyone will be more aware of hygiene
Would you support marking their houses with a scarlet letter A or a gold star of David?
Unnecessary, trust people!
Don’t be surprised in the not too distant future when you will have to subject yourself to be vaccinated in order to return to work or to keep your job. It won’t matter that the vaccine selected by the powers that be will have no proof of preventing or eliminating Covoid 18, only that it showed a tendency to prevent the disease in some convoluted test group. Big Brother has already left clues to our likely future.
Actually, federal law and regulation allow for the disclosure of this type of public health information, even with HIPPA. The regulation cite is right there in the MOUs. 45 CFR 164.512
Were victims told? Did that apply to HIV?
Sorry – typo HIPAA