Vaccine Passports Should Not Be Used In Ohio: Lawmaker

CANFIELD, OH — State Rep. Al Cutrona wants to prevent the use of COVID-19 vaccine passports in Ohio.

So-called vaccine passports would use scanning technology to ensure a person has received a COVID-19 vaccine and then allow them to enter venues. Cutrona, a Republican from Canfield, said such passports would be a restriction on Ohioans' privacy and liberty.

“Ohioans are encouraged to take the COVID-19 vaccine for the health and well-being of themselves and others,” Cutrona said. “However, a vaccine should not be mandated or required by our government for our people to integrate back to a sense of normalcy. We’ve had restrictions on our freedoms for over a year and more restrictions or mandates are not the answer to every issue related to COVID-19.”

New York became the first state to implement vaccine passports on Friday, when Excelsior Pass launched. The Excelsior Pass is a free, voluntary platform developed in partnership with IBM, which uses technology to confirm an individual's recent negative PCR or antigen test result or proof of vaccination.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, of New York, said Excelsior Pass will "fast-track" business reopenings and facilitate venues welcoming crowds back.

Cutrona does not want a similar system to be brought to Ohio. He is now looking for co-sponsors on his legislation to prohibit vaccine passports in the Buckeye State.

“Ohio is not New York,” Cutrona said. “I anticipate introducing this bill to ensure that the liberties of all Ohioans are instilled throughout this vaccination phase of the pandemic.”

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 1 million Ohioans have contracted the virus. The state health department reports that 18,609 Ohioans have died due to COVID-19 complications.

As of Tuesday afternoon, 3.32 million Ohioans had received at least the first shot of the two-part COVID-19 vaccine; and 1.9 million Ohioans have completed the vaccination process.