Vaccine Passport In New Jersey? Share Your Thoughts In Our Survey

NEW JERSEY — With more and more Garden State residents and Americans being vaccinated daily — the topic of vaccine passports has been in the public discourse.

In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy has said repeatedly he is open to the idea, but has noted that such a step could be problematic to implement. Still, other states are moving forward with plans.

For example, New York is already testing the so-called "Excelsior Pass." In Texas, Greg Abbott has moved to ban state agencies or anyone receiving public funds from requiring proof of vaccination against COVID-19. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order banning them.

The passports would be a way for a person to show that they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have recently tested negative for COVID. Such a passport could be required is for air travel or sporting events.

Patch wants to know how you feel about the topic. Take our survey below to let us know:

For now, there doesn't seem to be a federal vaccine passport that Americans will be required to carry. On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said there will be no federal mandate requiring everyone to have a single vaccination credential and the administration has said they would leave it up to private companies.

"The government is not now, nor will we be supporting a system that requires Americans to carry a credential," Psaki said. "There will be no federal vaccinations database and no federal mandate requiring everyone to obtain a single vaccination credential."

Anyone who completes the vaccine series for COVID-19 does receive a paper record from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Those concerned about the proposal have privacy concerns about health information getting leaked, which experts say is valid. However, a claim that the passports would violate HIPAA is not true. As The Washington Post reported, the law does not apply to the information itself but rather to covered entities like doctors or insurance companies who are not allowed to share a patient's medical information with anyone.

SEE ALSO:

Vaccine Passports: GOP Governors Enact Bans; ACLU Shares Concern

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