Vaccine Passports have become a reality in several countries, including Israel and China. New York became the first U.S. state to introduce a vaccine passport last week, opting for a partnership with IBM technology. Private and pseudo-private associations including MIT / pathcheck.org, Microsoft, The International Air Transport Association (IATA), and thecommonsproject.org / The World Economic Forum (WEF) also have implementations deployed or proposed. Many states, countries, and their politicians have signaled support of passport rollouts simultaneous with loosening international travel restrictions and reopening economies.
Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis is not among them. At a bill signing in Tallahassee for Florida SB 72: Civil Liability for Damages Relating to COVID-19, DeSantis announced that he will be taking executive emergency action against vaccine passports in Florida sometime this week. “I think it’s something that people have certain freedoms and individual liberties to make decisions for themselves. 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.”
The Florida State House passed SB 72 on Friday on an 83-31 vote one week after passage in the State Senate by 24-15 vote. Now law upon DeSantis’ signing, the bill starts out by stating as fact that “Covid-19” is a “novel coronavirus that was not previously found in humans” and that the outbreak originated in “Hubei province, China, in late 2019.” For a “strong and vibrant economy,” it provides “heightened legal protections” from Covid-19 lawsuits for local businesses as they reopen. The plaintiff alleging damages by a local business entity must submit a physician’s affidavit that attests to a “reasonable degree of certainty” that COVID-19-related damages, injury, or death occurred as a result of the defendant’s acts or omissions, or the case must be dismissed. Further, it makes the defendant immune from civil liability if the plaintiff cannot prove “gross negligence” or a lack of effort to “substantially comply with authoritative or controlling government-issued health standards or guidance” applicable.
Opinions vary on the issuance of vaccine passports. In response to LA Times Legal Affairs columnist Harry Litman’s tweet: “Vaccine passports are a good idea. Among other things, it will single out the still large contingent of people who refuse vaccines, who will be foreclosed from doing a lot of things their peers can do. That should help break the resistance down.” Donald Trump Jr. posted, “Authoritarian leftists want a Chinese-styled social credit system here in America. Vaccine passports via the Govt or private sector would create a two-tiered caste system. Every elected GOP officeholder worth a damn should publicly oppose this un-American concept immediately!!!”
Biden administration spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters that there is an “interagency process” to provide “guidance,” and that “a determination or development of vaccine passport or whatever you want to call it will be driven by the private sector.”
Over in the U.K., prime minister Boris Johnson brought up what he called “deep and complex” prerequisite considerations. “Ethical issues about what the role is for government in mandating people to have such things, or indeed banning people from doing such a thing.” A German ethics council said, even with a passport, it would be “unacceptable to lift state restrictions on civil liberties”, and warned that special privileges might cause unrest.
Paul Craig Roberts, author, economist, and sub-cabinet for Reagan writes: “I am convinced that no health purpose will be served by Covid passports and that the public should protest the introduction of a Soviet-style internal passport. Once established, the Covid passport will be a boon for Big Pharma. A yearly booster shot will be decreed, and without it, your passport will expire. Keep in mind that Florida avoided lockdowns and mask mandates and has no worse infection and death rate than lockdown states. Notice also that many highly qualified experts have criticized the lockdowns, mask mandates, use of untested vaccines, and the prohibition on using safe effective treatments such as HCQ and Ivermectin. Why were their voices censored and the information kept from the public? The only explanation I can think of is that Covid is being used for an unstated agenda. We should not be deceived into cooperating with this unstated agenda.”
Naomi Wolf, former Clinton advisor, author, and CEO of DailyClout.io, tweeted, “Do you notice that a ‘vaccine passport’ is announced by Pres Biden and Dr. Fauci declares kids should play in masks, right when Fauci’s role in the Wuhan Lab is disclosed by @politico? Crackdown and distraction.”
On The Next Revolution with Steve Hilton, she warned, “I am not overstating this. I cannot say it forcefully enough. This is literally the end of human liberty in the West if this plan unfolds… Vaccine Passport sounds like a fine thing if you don’t understand what those platforms can do. It’s not about the vaccine, it’s not about the virus. It’s about your data. Once this rolls out, you don’t have a choice about being part of the system. Any other functionality can be loaded onto that platform… it can be merged with your PayPal account, with your digital currency." She continued, "Microsoft is already talking about merging it with payment plans. Your networks can be sucked up, it geolocates you everywhere you go, your credit history can be included, all of your medical information can be included.”
At the signing ceremony in Tallahassee, DeSantis said, “I understand, kind of, how some folks can embrace the idea, and I’m not saying it’s all necessarily done for bad purposes, but I think ultimately it would create problems in the state.”
