Florida governor Ron DeSantis signs executive order BANNING vaccine passports because they would create 'two classes of citizens'
Florida governor Ron DeSantis has signed an emergency order banning Covid-19 vaccine 'passports' claiming they are 'completely unacceptable' and would create 'two classes of citizens'.
The executive order signed on Friday prevents any state-run organization and private business from demanding that their staff or customers show a vaccine passport to work there or gain services.
It follows a frenzy earlier this week from lawmakers and local leaders over the prospect of coronavirus vaccine passports, after an app was rolled out in New York, but some Republicans denounced it as the 'mark of the beast' and 'dystopian'.
The Biden administration said there are currently at least 17 different passport initiatives being developed by public and private entities, while the World Health Organization is working to develop a 'smart vaccination certificate.'
The White House, however, said Monday that it would not be imposing any restrictions at the federal level related to vaccine passports, like keeping a nationwide database of those inoculated.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, pictured March 22 at a press conference at the Eau Gallie High Schoo, has signed an executive order effectively banning COVID-19 vaccination 'passports'
Throughout the pandemic, many parts of Florida, including Miami Beach, pictured in March, have shown resistance to mask wearing and vaccinations for the COVID-19 virus
Proponents of vaccine 'passports' have claimed that it will allow entertainment businesses like The Magic Kingdom in Disney World, Florida, pictured in December last year, to re-open without excessive social distancing and help revive the economy
An Orange County firefighter holds his vaccination card after receiving the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine in Irvine, California, U.S., January 27, 2021. Some states, like New York, have looking at introduced systems to track people's vaccinations in order to lower the spread of the virus when businesses re-open
Throughout the pandemic large parts of Florida have been resistant to both mask-wearing and a vaccine roll-out.
Democratic Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith warned that the move by DeSantis could put some people off from getting the vaccine
In a press conference on Monday DeSantis said: 'It's completely unacceptable for either the government or the private sector to impose upon you the requirement that you show proof of vaccine to just simply be able to participate in normal society', as reported by NPR.
He added: 'Requiring so-called COVID-19 vaccine passports for taking part in everyday life — such as attending a sporting event, patronizing a restaurant, or going to a movie theater — would create two classes of citizens based on vaccination.'
But others warned that the move could put people off from getting the shot.
Democratic Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith tweeted that DeSantis 'is creating even more vaccine hesitancy with this reckless order, AND YET he still hasn’t even been vaccinated.'
DeSantis has claimed that he plans to be vaccinated.
Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican denounced the potential program as President Joe Biden's 'mark of the beast'.
Greene said in a video Monday: 'They want you to be required to have something called a COVID passport. And this would mandate your ability to be able travel, your ability to be able to go to events, your ability to be able to buy and sell.'
'Is this something like Biden's mark of the beast? Because that's really disturbing and not good,' she continued.
In a tweet she wrote: 'They are actually talking about people's ability to buy and sell linked to the vaccine passport. They might as well call it Biden's Mark of the Beast.'
Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene called vaccine passports 'Biden's Mark of the Beast'
Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton said the proposal is 'unconstitutional' and also made parallels to voter ID laws
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem called the passport idea 'un American' – but did not join in on proposing a ban
Some Republican lawmakers compared 'vaccine passports' to other liberal agenda items, claiming hypocrisy. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul said if people think 'voter ID' laws are racist then they also must think 'vaccine passports' are, too
Rep. Anthony Sabatini responded to the executive order by tweeting: 'This Order is immediate, but MUST be passed into law. As a State Rep., I’ll be fighting to make sure this law passes ASAP!', as reported by Click Orlando.
His move follows a comment this week by Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican who denounced the potential program as President Joe Biden's 'mark of the beast'.
Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan said Biden's administration is taking a more hard-line approach to its own citizens freedoms than it is on illegal immigration.
'The Biden Administration: -Considering a 'vaccination passport' for Americans. -But doesn't seem to care about passports when it comes to illegal migrants crossing the southern border,' Jordan tweeted Monday.
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul said progressives can't decry voter ID laws as racist then try to implement the same laws regarding those who have been vaccinated and not.
'If you think voter ID is racist, but a vaccine passport is just fine, you need some serious help thinking through public policy,' Paul posted on Twitter.
Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas tweeted: 'Liberals think requiring an ID for voting is obtrusive and racist. Yet they want public health 'experts'—who were wrong about nearly everything—to administer a vaccine passport?'
'Unconstitutional and dangerous,' he said.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, pictured on March 26 at an event in the Bronx, has launched the Excelsior Pass to show someone's vaccination status when enterting large scale entertainment venues. He claims it will help entertainment venues and other businesses that rely on large crowds to open again safely
New York State officials recently launched the Excelsior digital pass (pictured) which shows proof of vaccination against coronavirus or a negative test
Last week New York became one of the first states to launch an app that will show their vaccination status to attend large events where risk of spreading the virus is greater.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that that the Excelsior Pass will help entertainment venues and other businesses that rely on large crowds to open again safely.
'It's time to turn the page,' Cuomo said, crediting vaccination efforts and lowered infection rates as an indication that the state is ready for a tool to help jumpstart the state's entertainment-driven economy.
The pass could see New York's Broadway theaters, concert venues and sports arenas fill seats again after closures that started in March of 2020.
Madison Square Garden in New York City has been part of the app's pilot phase.
