When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced vaccinated individuals no longer need to wear masks indoors, with some exceptions, many on the left weren’t happy because they felt the unvaccinated would cheat—hence the push for vaccine passports. In Oregon, that has now become a reality.
The Oregon Health Authority is now requiring that individuals seeking to enter businesses, religious sites, or workplaces maskless show proof of their vaccination status.
“Businesses, employers and faith institutions now have the option to adjust their masking guidance to allow fully vaccinated individuals to no longer wear a mask in their establishments,” the updated policy reads. “Businesses, employers and faith institutions doing so must have a policy in place to check the vaccination status of all individuals before they enter their establishment.”
If such policies are not created, the state’s masking guidance must still be followed, regardless of a person’s vaccination status.
Nathaniel Brown, a spokesperson for Oregon Business and Industry, told the New York Times that they “have serious concerns about the practicality of requiring business owners and workers to be the enforcer.”
“We are hearing from retailers and small businesses who are concerned about putting their frontline workers in a potentially untenable position when dealing with customers,” Brown added.
In March, New York took a step in this direction with its release of the Excelsior Pass.
“New Yorkers have proven they can follow public health guidance to beat back COVID, and the innovative Excelsior Pass is another tool in our new toolbox to fight the virus while allowing more sectors of the economy to reopen safely and keeping personal information secure,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement at the time.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who banned vaccine passports in the state, has warned that requiring vaccine passports will create two classes of people.
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