Florida Governor Ron DeSantis banned the use of “vaccine passports” in this southeastern United States state on Friday as the European Union advances in talks to create this digital health certificate, nearly a month after China got its own. will launch.
Executive Command of the Republican Governor prohibits government offices from issuing any document comparable to so-called “vaccine passports” to certify that a person has been immunized against Covid-19.
It also prohibits private Florida companies from requiring their customers to provide any type of document certifying their vaccination or immunity after they recover from the coronavirus.
The DeSantis order explains that “So-called vaccine passports reduce individual freedom and harm patient privacy.”
The governor, an ardent supporter of former President Donald Trump who sounds like a possible presidential candidate, announced on Monday that his state would not enforce the use of these documents.
“It is completely unacceptable for the government or the private sector to impose a requirement to show proof of vaccination just to participate in society in a normal way,” DeSantis said at a press conference at the time.
“If you want to go to the theater, do you have to show it?” ‘No. We don’t support that. ‘
His announcement came after the Washington Post reported, based on various anonymous sources, that Democratic President Joe Biden’s government is developing a standardized document – a vaccine passport – that will allow normal life to be resumed.
These types of documents are discussed worldwide to demonstrate that a person has been vaccinated against Covid-19 and, among other things, to facilitate international travel and revitalize tourism.
China launched a digital “health passport” for this purpose on 9 March, while a week later the European Commission proposed the introduction of a “digital green certificate” to facilitate free movement within the European Union.
Nearly six million people have already received at least one dose of a vaccine in Florida, a state of 21 million people that is economically dependent on tourism.
As of Monday, all residents who want to can get it without a prescription: from 16 years Pfizer and from 18 years by Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.