The White House rules out participation in “vaccine passports”

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White House Press Secretary Jen PsakiJen PsakiOn The Money: Manchin says it will not support the 28% corporate tax hike | Yellen calls for global minimum corporate tax War on voting laws further erodes confidence in election Easter Bunny surprise visit to White House meeting room MORE on Tuesday ruled out the Biden administration playing any role in a “vaccine passport” system, as Republican governors, in particular, reject that concept.

“The government is not right now, nor will we support a system that requires Americans to have a credential. There will be no federal immunization database or federal mandate that requires everyone to get a single immunization credential. Psaki told reporters in a briefing.

The White House has made it clear that it would defer private companies if they wanted to implement some sort of vaccine passport system in which people would have to provide evidence they received one of the coronavirus traits.

“Our interest is very simple for the federal government, which is the protection of U.S. privacy and rights so that these systems are not used unfairly against people,” Psaki said.

The federal government will provide privacy guidelines related to coronavirus vaccines, Psaki said, though it did not provide any timeline.

The talk about vaccine passports has sparked a backlash among conservatives who have raised concerns about the possible extension of government that would discriminate against Americans who choose not to get vaccinated and violate their privacy rights.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on Monday issued an executive order banning vaccine passports, saying a system to track those who have been inoculated against COVID-19 violates citizens’ rights.

“The government should not require any Texan to prove vaccination evidence and disclose private health information just to devote himself to his daily life,” Abbott said in a statement.

Abbott’s order came after the governor of Florida. Ron DeSantisFlorida Democratic Mayor Ron DeSantis is calling for “60-minute” reports on the state’s deployment of vaccines to be “intentionally false.” The EPA chief highlights water improvement provisions in the infrastructure bill. (R) pledged to take executive action to prevent companies from needing vaccine passports before providing services to customers.

The World Health Organization warned on Tuesday that the use of vaccine passports may not be an effective way to reopen world travel, and cited the lack of vaccinations in some pockets around the world.

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