President Biden’s chief medical adviser, dr. Anthony Fauci, told the Politico Dispatch podcast on Monday that the federal government will not order the use of vaccine passports for travelers or businesses.
Why it matters: Passport-proof passports may hasten the reopening of international travel, but the idea of requiring immunization evidence has become a point of contention, especially among Republican officials.
- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Friday banned the use of vaccine passports in his state.
What they say“I doubt the federal government will be the main driver of a vaccine passport draft,” Fauci said.
- “They may be involved in making sure things are done fairly and equitably, but I doubt the federal government is going to be the most important element of this.”
Fauci noted that he believes businesses or schools may need vaccination passports to enter their buildings.
- “I’m not saying that they should or that they should, but I’m saying that you could have foreseen how an independent entity would say, ‘well, we can not deal with you unless we know you’ll be vaccinated.’ “but it will not be instructed by the federal government.”
The whole picture: The EU announced its proposal for vaccine passports in March, enabling citizens who can confirm that they have been vaccinated or recently tested negative for COVID-19 to cross borders without quarantine requirements.