The lack of in-depth disclosure comes as elected officials across the nation face increased scrutiny about coronavirus-related public mandates and whether they are abiding by their own rules. Denver Mayor Michael Hancock faced questions about whether he should resign after traveling at Thanksgiving despite asking residents to not do the same.<\/p>\n
Polis is one of at least six governors to test positive for the coronavirus. More than a dozen have taken additional precautions after members of their staff or relatives have caught the disease.<\/p>\n
The governor\u2019s office has cited federal health privacy laws, which protect patients\u2019 personal health information and medical records as the reason for the lack of detail. But the office hasn\u2019t explained why they won\u2019t release additional details that aren\u2019t protected under the law, such as how Polis and individuals within the office might have contracted the coronavirus.<\/p>\n
Health privacy laws generally apply to companies that retain information about patients \u2014 such as health providers, government agencies and insurance companies \u2014 and don\u2019t impede individuals from volunteering information about their medical condition.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to be respectful of their privacy and also due to (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) laws, we can\u2019t discuss more details,\u201d Conor Cahill, Polis\u2019 spokesman, said of the staffers around Polis who have tested positive for COVID-19 or been exposed to the disease. \u201cOf the course of this pandemic, members of the governor\u2019s office and the governor\u2019s cabinet have had COVID, just as an estimated 1 in 6 Coloradans<\/a> have. The governor and first gentleman will continue to provide transparency and updates on their own health and respect the privacy of others.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSaturday night into Sunday (Reis) experienced shortness of breath and worsening cough and the family doctor advised that he should be monitored and treated at a hospital,\u201d Cahill said Monday, providing more details to The Sun.<\/p>\n Reis has received dexamethasone, a steroid, and remdesivir, an experimental antiviral drug. He has not required oxygen, according to a statement from Cahill on Monday. The first gentleman\u2019s oxygen saturation numbers \u201care normal,\u201d Cahill added.<\/p>\n Cahill called Reis\u2019 hospitalization a precautionary move. In a statement Monday night, the governor\u2019s office said Reis is in good spirits and looks forward to returning home.<\/p>\n Cahill said that Polis, as of Monday, does not have any symptoms. Polis has only been taking baby aspirin on the advice of his doctors.<\/p>\n \u201cHe will continue to work remotely until he is no longer contagious and is cleared by doctors to be around others,\u201d Cahill said of Polis.<\/p>\n The details about how the governor first became infected remain unclear.<\/p>\n The governor\u2019s office declined to provide information about the employee who is believed to have exposed the governor, such as their proximity to the governor, citing federal health privacy laws.<\/p>\n Polis has advocated for strict adherence to public health guidelines \u2014 including remote working, physical distancing and mask wearing \u2014 which the governor has said his office adheres to as much as possible. But it\u2019s not known whether he or his staff broke their own protocols.<\/p>\n The governor\u2019s office did not respond to a question about whether Polis was wearing a mask when he was around the employee who tested positive.<\/p>\n Under state guidelines, an outbreak is defined as two or people at a workplace or event who don\u2019t live in the same household and who test positive for COVID-19 within a two-week period. Cahill has dismissed the suggestion that an outbreak exists in Polis\u2019 office, but did not provide an explanation though there have been two cases tied to the governor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n The governor\u2019s office has not said whether the second staff member who was quarantining has tested positive for COVID-19.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also not known if there are others in the governor\u2019s office who may have been exposed to the virus \u2014 either by the governor or the employee who tested positive.<\/p>\n As for Reis, the governor\u2019s office has not said at which hospital he is being treated.<\/p>\n The governor\u2019s office also did not say whether the Polis and Reis\u2019 two young children have tested positive for coronavirus.<\/p>\n Read more at The Colorado Sun<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n