Idaho governor bans state agencies from participating in ‘vaccine passports’
Idaho residents can stop worrying about so-called “vaccine passports.”
Gov. Brad Little on Wednesday signed an executive order banning “vaccine passports,” barring any state agency from requiring proof of vaccination to receive public services or access facilities.
In a virtual broadcast Wednesday, Little said the proof of vaccines would “create a different class of citizens” and threaten personal freedom at a time “life and the economy are returning to normal.”
The executive order bars any department, agency, board, commission or other executive branch entity from requiring proof of a COVID-19 vaccine to access state services or facilities. They are also not allowed to “produce and issue a COVID-19 vaccine passport” or provide information about someone’s vaccine status to anyone else.
Idaho joins a growing list of states that have banned public agencies from requiring proof of a COVID-19 vaccine — at least 18 other states have passed similar laws. Texas banned state agencies and state-run organizations from such a mandate Tuesday.
Republicans across the U.S. have been increasingly concerned about a requirement to present proof of a COVID-19 vaccine to receive services. Businesses and schools have mainly concerned the step as a way to reopen economies or return to in-person classes.
Vaccine passports have been discussed as a way to jumpstart international travel and the hotel industry, which have been devastated by the pandemic. The International Air Transport Association, the trade group for global airlines, is in the process of developing one. Some countries already require proof of other types of vaccinations, such as yellow fever or malaria, before travel.
In an AARP town hall last week, Little was asked a question about vaccine passports. He said governors discussed those concerns in a White House call. Little assured the caller that such a program would not exist in federal or state governments, and that it would only be used by private entities.
Some states, such as Colorado and Illinois, have publicly expressed interest in some kind of pass based on whether their residents have gotten vaccinated. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo championed an app to prove residents have been vaccinated, but the app is used mainly for large venues and industries hit hard by the pandemic.
Little still encouraged Idaho residents to get vaccinated and ask their doctors about the vaccine if they still have concerns.
Nearly 498,000 people have been received at least one vaccine dose in Idaho, according to the state. Over 69% of the population 65 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
This story was originally published April 7, 2021 at 2:25 PM.
