Ontario takes measures to protect first responders in COVID-19 crisis

Law360 Canada (April 6, 2020, 3:19 PM EDT) -- In a bid to protect Ontario’s first responders in the COVID-19 pandemic, on April 6 the province announced that it has made an emergency order that will allow police, firefighters and paramedics to obtain COVID-19 positive status information about individuals with whom they are coming into contact.

According to a statement from Health Minister Christine Elliott and Solicitor General Sylvia Jones, “during this pandemic, it is crucial that our first responders have access to this critical information when they are preparing to respond to an emergency in order to protect themselves and the public and help stop the spread of this virus.”

“The information disclosed will be limited to an individual’s name, address, date of birth and whether the individual has had a positive COVID-19 test result. Strict protocols will be enforced to limit access to this information and will only be used to allow first responders to take appropriate safety precautions to protect themselves and the communities they serve.”

Once the declaration of emergency is lifted, this data will be made inaccessible to first responders, the statement added.