Thread by @bopinion

There may not be a single national vaccine passport in the U.S. — but states and the private sector are developing a number of certification apps.

Regardless of what they are called, vaccine passports are inevitable bloomberg.com/opinion/articl…

Vaccine passports are the subject of debate:

➡️Right-wing pundits and politicians say they are a threat to personal liberty
➡️Many liberals worry they will exacerbate “pandemic inequality” because the vaccination rate among the poor is low
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New York’s Excelsior Pass is the first government-issued proof of vaccination in the U.S.

But it won’t be the last — at least 17 more are in the works in the country alone trib.al/bswBLhX

Americans who want to take a European vacation will need vaccine passports.

The president of the European Commission said those who want to travel to any EU countries must prove they've received either the Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines trib.al/bswBLhX

Inevitably, airlines will have to enforce any vaccine certification requirement imposed by European countries.

This means many international flights will be restricted to those who have been vaccinated and can prove it trib.al/bswBLhX

Other places are going to want to employ vaccine passports, including:

➡️Professional sports
➡️Universities
➡️Concert venues
➡️Broadway theaters
➡️Cruise lines
➡️About anywhere that people come in close contact
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Vaccine passports are not the death knell of liberty.

Many people have come to take for granted a lot of mandated safety requirements that they resisted at first, such as car seat belts and motorcycle helmets in some states trib.al/bswBLhX

People who object to the Covid-19 vaccine can’t complain of being discriminated against.

With a recent negative Covid test, they can:

➡️Go to ball games or concerts
➡️Sit side by side with the vaccinated
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Allowing people to be tested instead may actually provide an incentive for full vaccination. An unvaccinated Yankees’ season-ticket holder could either:

Take a test a few days before home games
Get vaccinated and never have to be tested again
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Vaccine passports are simply too useful to set aside.

Imagine going through customs in Paris, watching your pass get scanned and then waved through.

It’s going to feel almost as good as getting vaccinated in the first place, and painless to boot trib.al/bswBLhX