The country’s very first ‘vaccine passport’ is coming to the Big Apple.
The program, dubbed the ‘Excelsior Pass,’ is an app that allows New Yorkers to prove their vaccination status or recent history of a negative COVID-19 test to access events and businesses, Governor Cuomo announced in a press release Friday.
“As with a boarding pass for a mobile airline, individuals can print their pass or save it on their smartphone using the Excelsior Pass Wallet app,” the press release explains.
“Each pass has a secure QR code, which participating companies and locations can scan with an accompanying app to verify evidence of negative COVID-19 test results or proof of vaccination. A person’s data is kept secure and confidential at all times. ”
The app does not show health information when scanning – it only displays a green check mark if the person has been vaccinated or tested negative, or a red ‘x’ if not.
Major venues, such as Madison Square Garden and the Times Union Center in Albany, will start using the app next week, and on April 2, Excelsior Pass will expand to “smaller art, entertainment and event venues,” Cuomo’s office said.
The app, which launched Friday, is already working to prove vaccination status or negative test results and can be used to access wedding receptions, which now require negative visitor testing, and other events above the social gathering limit.
“New Yorkers have proven they can follow public health guidelines to beat COVID, and the innovative Excelsior Pass is another tool in our new toolbox to fight the virus while reopening more sectors of the economy and keeping personal information safe. , Cuomo said in a statement.
“The question ‘public health or economics’ has always been the wrong choice – the answer must be both. As more New Yorkers are vaccinated every day and as key public health statistics continue to regularly hit their lowest rate in months, the first Excelsior Pass heralds the next step in our thoughtful science-based reopening. “
Launched after two pilot demonstrations over the past few weeks, the app will use blockchain technology and encryption to ensure health information is stored securely.
To sign up, New Yorkers can register by downloading the app and entering personal information to verify their identity. The app then pulls data from the state’s vaccine registry and a number of pre-approved COVID-19 testing companies.