The Biden Administration is developing a “vaccine passport,” which could be used as a way to provide proof of vaccination to businesses, reports the Washington Post.
The effort, lead by the administration and various private companies, has gained steam as some large businesses are requiring vaccinations.
The program is being lead by the Department of Health and Human Services, which has formed an office devoted to health information technology. The White House has taken a larger role coordinating this effort, which is being led by coronavirus coordinator Jeff Zients. Officials say an announcement could be coming out in the next few days.
“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 Zientas at a briefing in March.
“If it became a government mandate, it would go down a dark road very quickly,” said Brian C. Castrucci, who leads the de Beaumont Foundation. “It becomes a credential. It becomes a ‘needing your papers,’ if you will. That could be dangerous — and it could turn off people.”
Florida’s governor Ron DeSantis has stated that his state will not be participating in any “vaccine passport” programs.
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