East DFW News

Kaufman County Judge Hal Richards has reversed his policy to not release information from the state health department gives him regarding COVID-19 cases in the county.

Richards relented after protests from a Precinct 4 Commissioner Ken Cates.

After a short break from reporting information about the location, age and sex of individuals who've tested positive for coronavirus cases, the county returned to providing all information in response to Cates’ concerns regarding transparency, according to Forney.com.

As of April 23, Texas reported 21,944 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, including 561 deaths. Kaufman County has 58 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

County Health Officer Benjamin Brashear believes those numbers are likely low, and that the number of as-yet undetected cases in the county is likely in the hundreds.

Richards had initially begun to limit the information made public because of the size of the county’s population and the likely ease with which individuals with a confirmed infection might be identified.

“Due to the lower population of Kaufman County and smaller towns, providing details could possibly identify a person and violate privacy laws, therefore, the county cannot share the information,” his release said.

Yet, Cates said that while the county should follow federal guidelines that would prevent the release of personal information, it is necessary in combating the novel coronavirus for residents to be aware of the scope and location of the problem.

He also noted that the decision to restrict information had been made by Richards and Brashear without consulting the county commissioners.

“Geographic spread data is necessary for operational decisions related to employee work assignments, supplemental resource planning and most importantly for citizens and business owners to make informed decisions about where they might shop or travel for essential services,” Cates said.