Don't Confuse 'Vax Pass' With Vaccine Passport: Chicago Top Doc

CHICAGO – Public health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said Thursday the city will not require vaccination passports for all public gatherings, or entry to restaurants and bars for that matter.

Chicago's top doctor on Thursday addressed the "bit of excitement" over her previous comments about plans to roll out a "Vax Pass" next month as city leaders begin to consider ways to provide unique opportunities for summer fun for fully vaccinated people.

"People took this to mean, 'I am going to need to show that I have been vaccinated to get into any restaurant in Chicago. This is going to be a requirement.' We are not talking about a vaccine passport here," Arwady said at a news conference.

"The Vax Pass concept is to really have activities and events that are incentives for people who choose to get vaccinated. So we'll give some more details about this in May, but for example, there will be opportunities, neighborhood-based vaccination events for example, that where people choose to get vaccinated they'll have the opportunity to get tickets to a concert, for example, that is open to people who are vaccinated with not all of the requirements in place related to masking and social distancing, et cetera."

That might be welcome news to the more than 5,000 Patch readers who expressed discontent after Arwady originally hinted that the Vax Pass could be a requirement for summer festivals.

About 70 percent of people who responded to the online survey said folks should not be required to show proof of vaccination to attend events such as summer festivals in the city.

Arwady on Thursday didn't provide more details about Vax Pass but clarified that city government won't be requiring vaccination passports.

"People went a long way with this around thinking that we were requiring a vaccine passport of some kind — we're not," she said. "But the vaccine is the path, is the way to be able to get back to fun activities, and we do think it's important, actually, especially for younger people to provide some incentives and to provide some celebration around getting vaccination."