Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs executive order banning 'vaccine passports'
The order will stay in effect for as long as the state of emergency lasts
Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order Friday that banned the businesses and the state government from requiring people in the state to use vaccine credentials to go about their business.
DeSantis declared on Friday that the Sunshine State would not allow any sort of "vaccine passport" to be used by the state government or businesses in their operations.
Specifically, businesses are not allowed to require customers or patrons to produce "documentation certifying COVID-19 vaccination or post-transmission recovery to gain access to, entry upon, or service from the business."
Additionally, state government agencies are prohibited from using "vaccine passports" and other kinds of certification as well as sharing or publishing a person’s "COVID-19 vaccination record or similar health information."
GOP LAWMAKERS WARN AGAINST VACCINE PASSPORTS
DeSantis said in the order that vaccine passports "reduce individual freedoms and will harm patient privacy."
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis holds a media briefing concerning the COVID-19 vaccines at the Publix Supermarket at Treasure Coast Plaza on Tuesday, January 26, 2021, in Vero Beach. (Reuters)
The governor also expressed concern that requiring a vaccine passport or similar measures would "create two classes of citizens based on vaccination."
The order went into effect immediately on Friday and will stay in effect for as long as the state of emergency declared by DeSantis last year at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
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The order banning vaccine passports comes as Republican lawmakers warn against the use of vaccine passports.
President Biden's administration is reportedly working on a way to standardize a process for allowing Americans to prove their vaccination status. New York State is rolling out its own version of vaccine credentials.