COVID confidentiality

Dear Annie: Is it wrong or unethical to tell a friend that a mutual friend has COVID-19 without securing that individual’s permission to discuss their medical status?

I was a nurse before I retired 10 years ago, and I know it’s considered a breach of patient privacy laws to discuss the health status of those you are treating. But among friends, am I doing something wrong by telling another person that so-and-so has been sick with COVID -19?

I caught myself disclosing this about a mutual friend and now feel ashamed that perhaps I had no right to blurt it out. Maybe my sick friend did not wish others to know. Did I have any right to disclose this or, for that matter, any other illness that someone has but has not requested privacy in the matter?

Racked With Guilt

Dear Racked With Guilt: From the way you signed your letter, you think that it was wrong to tell a mutual friend about your friend’s illness. If you were still working as a nurse and your friend disclosed to you that he had an illness, it would be a different story. But this sounds more like gossip than anything else. Gossiping does not feel good, which is why you feel guilty, but it’s time to let yourself off the hook. You made a mistake and learned from it, and now it is time to move on.

Tell your friend who had COVID -19 what you did, and my guess is that he will tell you to stop beating yourself up. Even if he doesn’t, life is too short to spend it feeling racked with guilt.

Dear Annie: One of your readers recently addressed the issue of cameras inside houses. These have become increasingly prevalent, and as a practising attorney, I would like to offer a few suggestions.

It is advisable that people make sure they tell visitors that there are cameras in the house so they do not face lawsuits from litigious guests. All questions about videos in the home should be looked at by a lawyer based on the laws of the state or province where they are located.

Some jurisdictions have two-party consent rules, meaning each party to a conversation must consent to being recorded. Others have one-party consent, meaning only one party must consent, and that allows one person to record a conversation without fear of eavesdropping charges.

If both homeowners are out of the room and two guests are talking, that could be electronic eavesdropping, which is illegal. Further, a person who lives in a home cannot put up hidden cameras in private areas, such as bathrooms or bedrooms.

Alabama Attorney

Dear Alabama Attorney: Thank you for your professional opinion. I always love to hear from lawyers, especially those who are knowledgeable about relatively new technology such as in-home cameras.