Kansas Republican legislators are pushing to keep in place specific rules for tracing the close contacts of people exposed to COVID-19 despite public health groups' opposition.
The Senate Judiciary Committee has approved a bill making limits on COVID-19 contact tracing permanent, rather than repealing them May 1. Its voice vote Friday sent the measure to the full Senate. The GOP-controlled Kansas Legislature enacted special rules last year, and supporters see them as protecting privacy. A key provision prevents people exposed to the novel coronavirus from being forced to disclose their close contacts. Public health officials have complained that the special COVID-19 rules hinder contact tracing.
