Vaccine ID needs a shot in the arm

Gov. Charlie Baker has shown the ability not to wade prematurely into politically thorny discussions, often waiting for those issues to be resolved without an endorsement or objection on his part.

Think of the millionaires tax proposal that’s now awaiting the Legislature’s second round of approval to appear on the 2022 state ballot. When it was first proposed, Baker passed judgment on its merits, preferring instead to await a state Supreme Judicial Court decision that found the initial citizens’ iteration of that progressive proposal unconstitutional.

Democratic state lawmakers then took the lead on that referendum question, which passed legal muster.

And now when it comes to implementing some sort of COVID vaccine verification system for state residents, Baker again would rather hold his political cards close to the vest.

When questioned on the subject Wednesday, the governor said his administration has no plans to follow the lead of states like New York, which has implemented a vaccine pass system to expedite the reopening of large sports and entertainment venues.

But of course, plans are subject to change. Right now, Baker insists his administration has other priorities, like getting as many of the commonwealth’s citizens fully vaccinated as possible.

That total has now surpassed 1.6 million, with number of those with at least one shot now surpassing 4 million, but that’s still below the administration’s ultimate goal.

But just a few weeks ago, Baker characterized the debate around vaccine passes as a “conversation worth having for all kinds of reasons” and called on the federal government for guidance.

“Having 50 states doing 50 different things on this could get pretty complicated,” he said during the March 25 press conference.

But now, Baker says there will be “plenty of time to talk about some of this other stuff.”

Playing for time seems a prudent strategy for a Republican governor of a state controlled by Democrats, especially with one of their own occupying the White House.

The president’s press secretary said Biden doesn’t support a federal vaccine ID card mandate, though his administration is expected to issue some guidelines for states to follow.

That seems to fall short of what two local state lawmakers would like to see happen. Sen. Barry Finegold and Rep. Linda Dean Campbell wrote to Gov. Baker and the White House earlier this week, urging them to work together to develop a framework for “vaccine passes.”

Finegold, an Andover Democrat who also represents Dracut ,Tewksbury and Lawrence, and Campbell, a Methuen Democrat, co-chair the Legislature’s new Committee on Advanced Information Technology, the Internet, and Cybersecurity.

Finegold and Campbell, though acknowledging the White House’s opposition to a central vaccine database, urged the Biden administration to help states and the private-sector development standards for passes that are “safe and effective.”

It’s unrealistic to expect federal vaccine ID guidelines tailored for a particular state, especially since this administration opposes imposing such a system nationwide.

Some Republican-controlled states already have restricted vaccine passes, condemning them as an infringement on personal freedoms. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday issued an executive order banning all businesses and government entities from requiring vaccine passports.

So, don’t expect any farreaching vaccination-verification proposal for Massachusetts prior to some form of federal direction.

We’d expect – and support – guidance pertaining to situations where such notification would ease concerns in a business-entertainment setting, like restaurants, bars and sports venues.

Of course, these recommendations must be CDCsanctioned and approved by the state’s Department of Public Health.

But absent a federal, onesize-fits-all directive – a criticism leveled at President Trump for his COVID-19 response – leaving this decision up to individual states will further hamstring this country’s and state’s post-virus rebound.