White House won’t be mandating them.
It had been reported several weeks ago that the president’s administration was considering some kind of “vaccine passport” or some other proof of vaccination in order to participate in certain activities or travel. Other countries, private interests, and non-governmental agencies are requiring some proofs. On Monday, the administration was reportedly considering some kind of “passport” as an initiative for getting the country back to normal sooner.
On Tuesday, President Biden’s administration cleared things up—the federal government will not be the one to issue a vaccine credential, or storing citizens’ vaccination information in a database.
“This is going to hit all parts of society, and so naturally, the government is involved,” Andy Slavitt, acting director for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said during a White House COVID-19 briefing. “But unlike other parts of the world, the government here is not viewing its role as the place to create a passport, nor a place to hold the data of — of citizens. We view this as something that the private sector is doing and will do. What’s important to us, and we’re leading an interagency process right now to go through these details, are that some important criteria be met with these credentials.”
Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the administration is mostly focused on creating guidelines that can be used as a basis for private-sector endeavors. She offered no timeline for when administration guidelines might be issued.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For the president and his administration to seek God’s leading as they continue to face the pandemic’s aftermath.
- For U.S. officials to protect the privacy of citizens’ healthcare information, including vaccine information.
- That the private-sector would follow what is lawful and constitutional regarding the proposed vaccine passports.
Sources: US News & World Report, MSN, CBS News
