The governors of Missouri and Kansas took a stand against the proposed COVID-19 “vaccine passports,” following the lead of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida.
“I do NOT support a vaccine passport and have no intention of implementing one in the State of Missouri,” Republican Gov. Mike Parson tweeted Monday.
I do NOT support a vaccine passport and have no intention of implementing one in the State of Missouri.
— Governor Mike Parson (@GovParsonMO) April 5, 2021
Parson clarified in a news conference last week that while he won’t require the so-called passports in Missouri, private companies are allowed to adopt them, according to WDAF-TV.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly told reporters that she is concentrating on getting her constituents vaccinated.
“I have no interest in vaccine passports,” the Democratic governor said on Monday. “We will not be issuing those under my authority.”
Vaccine “passports” have been proposed for those wanting to travel, attend concerts and patronize reopened businesses, among other things.
“The passports are expected to be free and available through applications for smartphones, which could display a scannable code similar to an airline boarding pass,” The Washington Post reported.
DeSantis signed an executive order last week, which bans Floridians from having to show their coronavirus immunity status.
“Today I issued an executive order prohibiting the use of so-called COVID-19 vaccine passports,” the governor tweeted.
“The Legislature is working on making permanent these protections for Floridians and I look forward to signing them into law soon.”
Today I issued an executive order prohibiting the use of so-called COVID-19 vaccine passports. The Legislature is working on making permanent these protections for Floridians and I look forward to signing them into law soon. Read my EO here – https://t.co/6QwLsLWEWm
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) April 2, 2021
In the order, DeSantis argued that “requiring so-called COVID-19 vaccine passports for taking part in everyday life — such as attending a sporting event, patronizing a restaurant, or going to a movie theater — would create two classes of citizens.”
The Missouri Senate also passed an amendment to Senate Bill 46 that would ban so-called vaccination passports in the Show-Me State, WDAF reported.
“No entity in this state shall require documentation of an individual having received a vaccination against any disease in order for the individual to access transportation systems or services,” the amendment reads.
New York is currently the only state requiring so-called vaccine passports for some of its venues, according to The Associated Press.
A senior adviser to the White House COVID-19 response team has said that the Biden administration will only provide guidance for how to develop these “passports,” the New York Post reported.
“The government is not viewing its role as the place to create a passport nor a place to hold the data of citizens. We view this as something that the private sector is doing, and we’ll do what’s important to us,” adviser Andy Slavitt said during a news briefing.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.