Massachusetts is considering a digital vaccine passport program for residents, the governor told a local news outlet, putting the state at the forefront of a national debate on whether proof of vaccination should be required to take part in many basic social activities.
“It’s a universal standard and we’ve been working with a bunch of other states – there’s probably 15 or 20 of them – to try to create a single QR code that can be used for all sorts of things where people may choose to require a vaccine,” Gov. Charlie Baker told GBH News’ Boston Public Radio on Monday.
Baker, a Republican, said Massachusetts and other states have been working on a program where a QR code would be scanned to verify a person’s vaccination status. Baker displayed his personal QR code to the show’s hosts, verifying his vaccination status, and said the program would be available “soon.”
He did not say which other states were cooperating on the project. Vaccine passports have been a hot-button issue since even before vaccines became widely available earlier this year. And while some states and local jurisdictions have embraced them, others have taken action to prevent vaccination from being a requirement to access certain goods and services.
At least a dozen states have banned vaccine passports altogether, while some states have already begun leaning on digital credentials for access to certain areas and activities. New York has been among the leaders in vaccination requirements, instituting its Excelsior Pass earlier this year for admittance into some indoor events. READ MORE
