MADISON, WI (WSAU) – A ruling from the Wisconsin Supreme Court says the state can release COVID data involving private businesses.
Wisconsin Manufactures and Commerce had sued to block the Evers administration from releasing data about businesses with more than 25 employees where at least two workers tested positive. The court’s ruling was 4-3.
Justice Brian Hagedorn sided with the three liberal justices on the state’s highest court.
In a dissent, the three conservative justices worried that the state could release individual health information. The Department of Health Services says their list of business is aggregated data that covers workplaces, not individuals.
Several news outlets had requested the information. The Evers Administration was going to release it, until WMC’s lawsuit. The business group had argued that there was no way of proving that the COVID cases were related to working conditions; that they could have contracted it elsewhere in the community. Many businesses were concerned that releasing such data could scare away customers.
The Department of Health Services said more than 1,000 businesses were on the list.
