Topline
The U.S. is strongly considering developing a vaccine passport for travel in and out of the country, Director of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said Friday, following other countries in Europe and Asia who are developing ways to require proof of vaccination even as the concept of vaccine passports remains deeply controversial in the U.S.
Trevelers at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on May 27, 2021 in Los Angeles.
Key Facts
When asked on Good Morning America whether the U.S. was developing a vaccine passport system for international travel in the U.S., Mayorkas said the government was taking a “very close look” at whether one should be implemented.
The Homeland Security chief said the U.S. was focused on “making sure that any passport that we provide for vaccinations is accessible to all and that no one is disenfranchised” if one is required.
Vaccine passports being developed by the European Union and other countries and private groups are so far digitally-based, raising concerns that they could potentially disenfranchise groups like those who don’t have smartphones.
The U.S. does not have any requirements for international travelers to be vaccinated at the moment, but does require those traveling into the U.S. to test negative for Covid-19.
The Biden administration has already said it will not develop a federal vaccine passport that Americans would be forced to show within the U.S., such as for certain businesses or domestic travel.
Big Number
71%. That’s the percentage of adults in the U.S. who believe a vaccine passport—defined as a certificate that would show either that someone has been vaccinated against Covid-19 or tested negative for it—should be required for entry into the country, according to an Ipsos/World Economic Forum poll conducted between March 26 and April 9. That’s slightly below the 78% of total respondents from across 28 countries who backed a vaccine passport requirement for their respective countries.
Chief Critics
Vaccine passports have come under significant scrutiny in the U.S. for potential concerns about privacy and from those who are unwilling to get the shot, and a number of Republican-led states have moved to ban proof of vaccination from being required within their states. “It's completely unacceptable for either 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,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has banned vaccine passports in his state, said in March. The World Health Organization has also said it does not support Covid-19 vaccination requirements for international travel, believing that prioritizing travelers could hinder global efforts to instead get the vaccine to higher-risk groups and increase inequity in vaccine distribution.
Key Background
Digital Covid-19 vaccine passports or certificates that show a user’s proof of vaccination are already being developed in countries like the European Union, United Kingdom, China and Japan, as well as by private groups like the International Air Transport Group that are developing their own apps for travelers on certain airlines. The E.U. has imposed a vaccination requirement on travelers from outside the bloc this summer, saying Americans and other non-E.U. tourists can visit but only if they’re fully vaccinated with an authorized Covid-19 vaccine. Other countries like Saudi Arabia are requiring their own citizens to be vaccinated in order to go abroad, after previously banning residents from traveling abroad over fears it could further spread Covid-19 within the country. The notion of requiring vaccinations to enter a country is not a new one, with many countries already requiring proof of inoculations against such diseases as yellow fever and malaria.
What We Don’t Know
What a possible Covid-19 vaccine passport in the U.S. could look like, including whether it would be physical or digitally-based, whether vaccines would be required or if a negative test would be acceptable, and how any requirements would accommodate shots like the AstraZeneca vaccine that have so far not been authorized for use in the U.S. With summer travel only just now starting to pick up, it also remains to be seen how the vaccine passports and vaccination requirements in Europe and elsewhere will play out in practice, and whether the patchwork system of various proof of vaccination apps will be sufficient or if a more centralized system should be developed.
Further Reading
How vaccine passports for global travel will work (Associated Press)
Vaccinated Americans Can Travel To Europe This Summer (Forbes)
Covid: US rules out federal vaccine passports (BBC News)
Coming Soon: The ‘Vaccine Passport’ (New York Times)
