The Joe Biden administration is reportedly working with travel and technology companies to create a coronavirus vaccine passport that some businesses might start to require.
An administration official told CNN that multiple agencies are working to develop health credentials that Americans would use as proof of vaccination.
Several industries considering requiring these passports include: airlines, concert venues, movie theaters, offices, and even foreign governments.
“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,” White House coronavirus coordinator Jeff Zients said in a statement earlier this month.
The passports would likely come in the form of a smartphone app, where individuals would upload details of their COVID-19 tests and vaccinations.
New York has already launched a similar program, which Gov. Andrew Cuomo said would help the state restart live events, such as concerts and sports games, safely.
Cuomo’s vaccine passport, known as the ‘Excelsior Pass,’ is available via an app that provides each user with a QR code, much like a boarding pass customers must provide before boarding a flight.
“New Yorkers have proven they can follow public health guidance to beat back COVID, and 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,” Cuomo said in a statement.
However, many are skeptical of vaccine passports, arguing that they would create ethical and logistical issues.
“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,” the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology said during a March 2 conference.
