GOP governor can keep secret COVID-19 nursing home outbreak information: judge

The Republican governor of Arizona has won a legal victory to keep secret information on COVID-19 outbreaks in the state's nursing homes.

"A judge late Friday afternoon ruled that Gov. Doug Ducey's administration may keep secret information about the spread of COVID-19 in nursing homes, saying the state's privacy laws trump Arizona's Public Records law," AZ Central reported Friday.

"Media outlets, including The Arizona Republic, had requested records that included the number of nursing home residents that had tested positive for the new coronavirus, as well as the number of residents that have been transferred to or from an acute care facility," the publication reported. "Coury ruled that because those requests were for 'medical information' they were 'confidential' under state law."

"The Republic, ABC15, Channel 12, CBS 5 and 3TV filed the special action in Maricopa County Superior Court on May 5, seeking a more complete picture of what's happening in nursing homes, which account for more than half of the known deaths statewide from COVID-19. In Maricopa County, nearly two-thirds of deaths from the new coronavirus are residents of such facilities," the publication noted.

Read the full report.