What’s a vaccine passport and where are they required?
As more people are vaccinated, both here and around the world, it could become more necessary to provide proof of vaccination – to get on a plane or a cruise ship, hold certain jobs or even enjoy a night out in some places.
Some countries and states are requiring vaccine passports while others are moving to ban the requirement. But what is a vaccine passport? It is documentation that shows a traveler has been vaccinated against COVID-19 or recently tested negative for the virus that causes the disease.
The information can be stored on a phone or other mobile device that the user shows to airline employees and border officers. The Biden administration and others want a paper version available, too.
The trade group for global airlines, the International Air Transport Association, is testing a version it calls Travel Pass. IBM is developing another, called a Digital Health Pass. There are several other private-sector initiatives.
Vaccine passports would be most common on international flights. Some countries already require proof of vaccination for diseases such as yellow fever, and the United States now requires a negative coronavirus test to enter the country.
Will there be an Ohio vaccine passport?
There are no plans for Ohio to create a vaccine passport, Gov. Mike Dewine said April 1. “Businesses can make their own decisions and people can make their own decisions about these things,” Dewine said.
Dewine has said several times there are no plans to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine.
Rep. Al Cutrona, R-canfield, plans to introduce a bill that would prevent state and local agencies from mandating any use of vaccine passports.
“How an individual chooses to run a business is up to them. I’m not looking to overregulate or try to reign these guys in,” Cutrona said. “At the end of the day, all this does is prevent the government from issuing health orders requiring businesses to use this.”
Additionally, House Bill 248, would allow Ohioans to decline a COVID-19 shot – or any other vaccine – because of religious reasons, medical reasons or natural immunity.
The proposal would prevent anyone who chooses not to be vaccinated from facing discrimination, being denied services or forced to follow a requirement that they wear masks or other penalties financial or social from businesses, schools or government.
Where are vaccine passports required in the United States?
As the first vaccine passport in the nation, New Yorkers can already pull up a code on their cellphone or a printout to prove they’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19 or recently tested negative for the virus that causes it.
Hawaii is also considering vaccine passports for inter-island travel.
Will there be a federal U.S. vaccine passport?
The Biden Administration is working on a set of national standards for vaccine passports, the Washington Post recently reported. Airlines, hotels and other travel companies have urged the president to have them ready before the summer vacation season starts.
“The significance of this to re-starting international aviation cannot be overstated,” Alexandre de Juniac, the former CEO of the International Air Transport Association, said during the launch of its own digital health certificate in March.
Requiring shots for international travel is not new. Many countries already use the International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (yellow cards stuck in your passport) that show proof of inoculation against illnesses like tuberculosis, yellow fever, Polio and hepatitis. Those are physical records, but these vaccine passports are being developed as digital documents.
But the federal government shouldn’t be involved in verifying that people have been vaccinated against COVID-19, the White House says.
“There’s no vaccine passport in the United States,” says Peter Vlitas, senior vice president of airline relations for Internova Travel Group. But we’re close. The most promising one is the IATA Travel Pass. It’s being tested among 22 airlines, and the airline trade organization expects to release it this month.
Tripactions’ app-based health passport, a private initiative that launches early next month, will allow travelers to upload and store all necessary documentation required for domestic and international travel within a centralized hub.