Where Are Vaccine Passports Being Implemented?
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In America, some people remain split on whether COVID-19 vaccine passports should be created or banned. However, many countries outside of America have implemented them. This distinction could come into play if you’re planning to travel now that COVID-19 rates are decreasing in the U.S. Below, learn where vaccine passports are being implemented.
Will there be federal vaccine passports?
Although there are no state or federal requirements to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination, that doesn’t mean the demand isn’t there. Some companies are beginning to develop vaccine passport apps for employers, whose employees can use these apps to present official electronic proof of vaccination.
Will there be state vaccine passports?
Some states, such as New York and California, plan to develop an electronic bill of health that shows not only vaccination status but other health records as well. Learn more about these plans below.
New York
In the state of New York, IBM is developing an electronic proof of COVID-19 vaccination known as the Excelsior Pass. These plans could result in unvaccinated people being barred from entry into certain businesses that choose to admit only unvaccinated customers.
California
In California, Governor Newsom has claimed that there is an electronic immunization verification app in the works. However, Newsom has also said that proof of vaccination will not be state-mandated.
Hawaii
In the state of Hawaii, proof of COVID-19 vaccination passports has been fully implemented as part of the state’s “Safe Travels” system. Under this system, those who have been immunized have been allowed to travel between counties and even between Hawaiian islands without prior testing or other precautions.
Are vaccine passports banned anywhere?
Some states have banned the use of COVID-19 vaccine passports. In these states, legislators and executives claim that vaccine passports may be unethical. They include:
Idaho
In Idaho, Governor Brad Little has banned vaccine passports through an executive order. This executive order prohibits state government agencies from producing vaccine passports or requiring said proof as a condition for accessing state or local services.
Arizona
The vaccine passport ban in Arizona is similar to that in Idaho. Although Governor Doug Ducey has urged people to get vaccinated, he maintains his state’s citizens’ rights not to be vaccinated.
Utah
In the state of Utah, immunization passports are partially banned. Utah Governor Spencer Cox has prohibited the state government agencies from requiring their employees to get the vaccine, but private businesses are not prohibited from doing so.
Florida
In Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis has issued an order. Under this order, no state agency or entity is permitted to issue any standardized proof of COVID-19 vaccination for use of certification.
Texas
In the state of Texas, a bill currently in the legislative process promises to prohibit any business operating in Texas from requiring any vaccine information.
What do vaccine passports mean for air travel?
Over one million European citizens across 17 nations have received European Union digital COVID certificates. According to the European Commission, the member states Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Italy have either issued or verified at least one certificate.
With large countries such as Australia and Japan implementing nationally recognized and uniform COVID-19 vaccination passport systems, a unique sort of chaos may emerge. Many paper identification cards could be easy to forge. This truth could undermine operations to keep COVID-19 in check amid increased travel rates – and make vaccine passports much tougher to trust