Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is cracking down on what is known as “vaccine tourism.”
Florida will soon require residency tests for people receiving COVID-19 vaccines, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced this week.
Starting Wednesday, people who get vaccinated in Seminole County, Florida will be asked to show their Florida ID or a utility bill to get the shot, according to WFTV, affiliated with ABC News Orlando. The new policy, which applies to state-administered vaccination sites, will later be extended to other counties in the state.
“We just do it [vaccines] for Florida, Florida residents, “DeSantis said during a news conference Tuesday.” You have to live here either full time or at least part time. “
The changes come as a result of concerns about “vaccine tourism,” following an executive order from DeSantis that opened the vaccines to anyone 65 or older, but who did not require proof of residency.
The opening of the vaccines resulted in long queues, with some elderly people even camping all night in grass chairs in hopes of getting vaccinated.
Florida has reported 1.6 million cases of COVID-19 and 24,578 deaths from the virus, according to the state Department of Health.
As of Wednesday, Florida had distributed 2.5 million vaccines and administered approximately 1.2 million, which translates to 5,773 vaccines administered per 100,000 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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