Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts issued an executive order Wednesday evening that allows state and local health department officials to disclose information about those who have tested positive for COVID-19. Ricketts says the move is in the interest of public safety.
Effective immediately, the executive order remains in effect until 30 days after Nebraska's official COVID-19 state of emergency ends.
According to the order, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services as well as local public health departments are now allowed "to use or disclose identifiable health information" when they believe it to be in the public's best interest.
Nebraska DHHS will establish guidelines about when and how that information may be used and disclosed "so that individually identifiable health information is limited to the minimum information necessary," the order states.