Wright County Public Health Clarifies May 13 News Release On First Coronavirus Cluster Identification

Press release from the Wright County Government:

May 15, 2020

On Wednesday, May 13, Wright County Public Health issued a news release regarding the first confirmed case of a COVID-19 cluster at an unidentified business in Wright County. The release generated quite a bit of feedback on social media – both county accounts and private/group accounts.

Public Health wishes to clarify some of the points brought up by residents with the following statement:

Earlier this week, we sent out a news release emphasizing the presence of community transmission of COVID-19, which inevitably includes businesses. All community members are encouraged to take precautions when going out in public.

In consultation with the Minnesota Department of Health, it was determined that the cluster identified in a local business is considered low risk to the public. The business is working with Wright County Public Health to take proper precautions to continue protecting their employees and the public. We are not able to name the business, most importantly because doing so could identify those with confirmed cases of COVID-19, which is a violation of the Minnesota Government Data Privacy Act.

A cluster is defined by three or more cases.

To see the news release itself, which provides background information on the matter, click here: http://www.co.wright.mn.us/DocumentCenter/View/19406/Wright-Co-COVID-19-Update-51320

This press release was produced by the Wright County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.