County officials’ hopes to share more details with the public about the locations of Westmoreland’s confirmed coronavirus cases are in limbo.

Commissioner Sean Kertes said Friday that the nondisclosure agreement the state department of health is requiring in exchange for the information is a significant roadblock.

“They’re making it almost impossible,” he said.

State officials agreed last week to share locations of confirmed coronavirus cases with county public safety officials in an effort to help first responders. But Westmoreland Director of Public Safety Roland “Bud” Mertz said the stipulations that come along with the nondisclosure agreement would hinder normal operations. As of Friday afternoon, the county hadn’t received that information from the state.

“We want to do everything that we possibly can to protect our first responders,” he said.

Officials are still interested in getting the data and haven’t given up, he said. Solicitor Melissa Guiddy said they requested the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania reach out to the state about the proposed confidentiality requirements in the agreement.

Counties that have local health departments have released detailed information about the spread of the virus. In Philadelphia, officials post maps down to the ZIP code level, while in Allegheny County the health department publicly issues maps at the municipal level and flags addresses in the 911 system.

Officials in Westmoreland County have said such information helps protect first responders and allows local officials to make informed decisions about where to deploy their resources. There were 19 coronavirus deaths as of Friday in Westmoreland County, according to the coroner. The countywide confirmed case total stands at 249 as of Friday afternoon. The first confirmed cases came March 19.

State officials cite the privacy provisions of the 1955 Pennsylvania Disease Prevention and Control Act in their limited information releases. The state is subject to the law that has been upheld both by the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records and state appellate courts, according to a spokesman.

The Westmoreland County commissioners said this week they hoped to share the state’s information with the public in a similar manner to Allegheny County, if possible.

Across the state, 1,366 new cases of covid-19 were reported Friday, bringing the running count to 24,199, according to state data. Seventeen more people have died, bringing the death toll of 524.

In Allegheny County, 19 new cases and two deaths were reported, for totals of 876 and 21.

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