
<p>Americans may soon have to present “vaccine passports” in order to travel, attend large events, dine at certain restaurants, or return to work, reports the <em>Washington Post. </em></p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">A federal initiative is underway to give Americans an easy and safe way to provide proof of vaccination. </h4>



<p>“Our role is to help ensure that any solutions in this area should be simple, free, open source, accessible to people both digitally and on paper, and designed from the start to protect people’s privacy,” said Jeff Zients, who leads the initiative. ;“As we increase the number of people vaccinated, we know some people may have a need to demonstrate that they are vaccinated…The private sector and not-for-profit coalitions are already beginning to work on this.”</p>



<p>Proof of vaccination will most likely be required when boarding international flights. Some already require proof of vaccination for disease like yellow fever. </p>



<p>Airlines support vaccine passports as a way to help revive the travel industry. But they have urged the government to set a national standard to avoid confusion resulting from differing regional rules. </p>



<p>“A chaotic and ineffective vaccine credential approach could hamper our pandemic response by undercutting health safety measures, slowing economic recovery, and undermining public trust and confidence,” warns the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.</p>



<p>Vaccine passports are already available in New York using the Excelsior Pass, a free app that utilizes QR codes to provide proof of vaccination. New York businesses won’t be required to use Excelsior. But they may have the option to admit more patrons if they do. </p>



<p>“The innovative Excelsior Pass is another tool in our new toolbox to fight the virus while allowing more sectors of the economy to reopen safely and keeping personal information secure,” says New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. “The question of ‘public health or the economy’ has always been a false choice &#8211; the answer must be both.”</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading"><em>Critics fear the passports will create a two-tier society where vaccinated individuals have more opportunities than non-vaccinated individuals. Scammers are already selling fake vaccination records on eBay and Craigslist. </em></h4>



<p><strong>Author’s Note: </strong>This is the worst kind of totalitarian idea that will further exacerbate the growing wealth gap in America. ;</p>



<p>Can you imagine being turned away from a restaurant because the vaccine isn’t yet available to your demographic? Or having to get a vaccination just so you can attend your favorite sporting event? Outrageous. </p>



<p><strong>Sources:</strong></p>



<p><a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/biden-administration-working-on-covid-19-passports-to-enable-american-travel">Biden administration working with industry to develop COVID-19 ‘passports’ as vaccinations progress ;</a></p>



<p><a href="https://www.newsmax.com/us/vaccine-covid-coronavirus-passport/2021/03/28/id/1015502/">Biden White House Plans ‘Vaccine Passports’ ;</a></p>



<p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-biden-administration-is-developing-a-vaccine-passport-program-2021-3">The Biden administration is developing a national coronavirus ‘vaccine-passport’ program for Americans ;</a></p>



<p><a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2021/03/26/covid-vaccine-passports-new-york-first-vaccination-proof-system/6976009002/">New York launches nation’s first ‘vaccine passports.’ Other are working on similar ideas, but many details must be worked out. ;</a></p>

Biden Working on ‘Vaccine Passports’
