PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Making good on a promise he delivered Monday, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order Friday banning the use of what he referred to as “so-called COVID-19 vaccine passports.”
During a press conference in Tallahassee on Monday, DeSantis stated he would issue an executive order that would forbid local governments and businesses from requiring vaccine passports to show proof that customers have been inoculated against the coronavirus.
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In the executive order, DeSantis points out that no COVID-19 vaccine is required by law and that vaccination records are private health information, “which should not be shared by mandate.”
He also referred to the “so-called COVID-19 vaccine passports,” saying they “reduce individual freedom . . and that a requirement to show a passport to take part in everyday life such as a sporting event, going to a restaurant or going to a movie theater would “create two classes of citizens.”
DeSantis has stated that he is preparing to work with the Florida legislature to find a permanent solution to restrict the use of vaccine passports since the executive order is temporary and will need to be extended.
The travel industry, such as airlines and cruise lines, especially were in favor of the vaccine passports in an effort to help get consumers back on board as a way of reassurance that it was safe to return to normal pre-pandemic activities.
(Read the order below)