Florida governor Ron DeSantis has announced that he will making an executive order which will forbid local governments and businesses from making COVID-19 vaccine passports compulsory in the state.
The announcement came Monday during a bill signing ceremony.
DeSantis emphasized that his administration has been “aggressive” about providing a COVID-19 vaccine, especially to Florida’s elderly citizens, nearly 75% of whom have already received it.
“But we always said we want to provide it for all, but mandate it for none,” DeSantis said, and while Florida’s officials advised taking the vaccine “particularly if you were vulnerable, we were not going to force you to do it.”
“So there was never under discussion any mandates to take vaccines. We will not have COVID vaccines mandated in Florida” he added.
DeSantis complained about the privacy implications of such “passports” and noted that it’s completely unnecessary.
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“It’s “completely unacceptable for 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,”
DeSantis cited people’s “freedoms and individual liberties to make decisions for themselves,” and also expressed a concern about people’s information being given to big corporations in the process of establishing vaccine passports.
Gov. Desantis’ comments come just a day after the Washington Post reported about the Biden administration working on the development of a vaccine passport. The plans could lead to citizens being required to show proof of vaccination in order to do business, attend work or school, travel, or even enter restaurants and grocery stores.
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