Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, seen here in January, said this week that he would put in place emergency rules to prevent companies from asking for proof of vaccination. Joe Raedle / Getty Images hide subtitles
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Joe Raedle / Getty Images
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, seen here in January, said this week that he would put in place emergency rules to prevent companies from asking for proof of vaccination.
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
The more Americans are vaccinated, the greater the desire to return to the world and enjoy activities again. The idea of so-called vaccination passports is increasingly debated as a way of proving to those vaccinated or negative for the coronavirus that they are virus-free and to get back to something that is nearing normal.
However, there is skepticism in some circles, especially on the right, about the use of such tools, although for the most part they do not yet exist in the US.
Opponents include Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who opposes the notion that vaccination records are used to restrict entry to sites such as cinemas, sporting events, theme parks, and planes.
“It is not completely unacceptable for either the government or the private sector to require you to provide proof of vaccination in order to simply participate in normal society,” he said at a press conference Monday.
DeSantis said such IDs were unnecessary and raised privacy concerns about how large companies handle vaccine data. “You want the fox to guard the chicken coop?” he said. “Give me a break.”
He said he’ll be enacting emergency rules this week preventing companies from requiring proof of vaccination and working with lawmakers on a permanent ban. The ban is specific to COVID-19 vaccines used under the Food and Drug Administration’s emergency clearance, like all vaccines currently administered in the United States.
The typical vaccination requirements of schools and universities against measles and the like are different and are not influenced.
The NBA’s Miami Heat announced last week that there would be special sections this Thursday reserved for fully vaccinated fans. Masks will still be requiredHowever, social distancing is relaxed in these sections.
The White House has repeatedly stated that the federal government will not administer vaccination records, in part because it is clear that a state-run vaccination record could cause some Americans not to be vaccinated.
“We know there is a section of the population who are concerned that the government will play too harsh a role in monitoring their vaccinations,” said Andy Slavitt, senior White House advisor said on Monday morning. “In fact, it would discourage people to feel that this is the role we are playing.”
Instead, according to Slavitt, the federal government will issue guidelines and requirements for the private sector, which it expects to develop a “marketplace for solutions”.
DeSantis takes a very different path than New York State, where Governor Andrew Cuomo is already contested announced A voluntary digital passport that can prove a person’s vaccination status or negative test result.
Cuomo described the digital passports as a way to get the state’s economy going again and open up venues to larger groups. “It’s time to turn the page,” he said.
DeSantis also questioned dire warnings from the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Rochelle Walensky, on Monday as she described the feeling of “impending doom” as she watched the number of US coronavirus cases rose again and urged states not to open too early.
“When you talk about fate, you are saying that the vaccines must not work because we vaccinated millions and millions of people across the country,” DeSantis said.
He argued that the rise in cases is instead a seasonal pattern that will decrease in April and May, and that many of the new cases are occurring in young people who are not getting severe COVID-19, as many in the older population are now vaccinated .
“There are many people who have been protected by the release of these vaccines. I think things are going well,” DeSantis said.
