Gov. Baker Says Massachusetts May Soon Have Digital Vax Passports

This past Monday, November 29, Governor Charlie Baker announced that a new vaccine passport program would be coming soon to the Bay State, although an actual date has not yet been announced.

MassLive reports that, according to Governor Baker, Massachusetts has been working alongside other states to create a digital vaccine passport program. This program would require a single QR code that can be used where people may choose to require a vaccine.

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On Monday afternoon Governor Baker had this to say on GBH News’ Boston Public Radio while he was displaying his personal QR code:

This is my proof that I’ve been vaccinated. It’s easy to access, it’s a universal standard and we’ve been working with a bunch of other states, there’s probably 15 or 20 of them.

Already, the vaccine passports are in use in numerous states, however, several lawmakers have argued against the passports due to concerns over protected health information.

In an ongoing debate over whether proof of vaccination should be required to participate in basic social activities, Massachusetts is now front and center. Supporters of the digital passport program say that since many businesses or organizations require people to be vaccinated against COVID-19, this just makes it easier to have proof of immunization status.

Governor Baker did not actually explain how the state government would utilize the passport program. The Baker-Polito Administration's Press Secretary made it clear this week that the administration has no plans for a statewide vaccine requirement.

We may still have a long way to go before this ever gets resolved, but we'll see. Check out the full story at MassLive's website here.