Vaccine Passports Coming To CT? Lamont Teases Validation System

CONNECTICUT — Is there a COVID-19 vaccine passport in your future?

The Biden administration may have ruled out the federal government playing any role in a vaccine passport system, but it's still fertile ground for the states, including Connecticut.

On Monday, Gov. Ned Lamont said his administration is considering adopting an electronic certification system to enable businesses to determine the coronavirus infection status of their employees and patrons.

"To make it easier for businesses, maybe we ought to have some sort of validation system. The Excelsior (Pass) is what they are using in New York City and New York State. That would allow restaurants, bars ... employers, a little easier way to verify" vaccination, he told reporters.

The Excelsior Pass was the first vaccination passport in the nation, and is now being used by venues, universities, stadiums and businesses throughout New York as a way to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or negative test results.

New Yorkers are not required by the state to carry an Excelsior Pass, which is a digital wallet residing on their smartphone. But as of August 17, only proof of vaccination will grant access to indoor dining, fitness clubs and shows at indoor entertainment venues in New York City. All businesses in the Big Apple are at liberty to request it and deny service if the potential patron's infection status doesn't check out.

An informal Patch survey in April on the topic of a Connecticut vaccine passport found readers divided 55.1 to 44.9 percent against the idea.

Lamont said his administration has been using "incentives, cajoling, free drinks, 'tell your friends' and trusted advocates, doing everything we can to get people vaccinated." Those carrots have resulted in less than 67 percent of the state's population being completely vaccinated, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, updated Monday.

The governor said that President Joe Biden is "pushing a little harder" to counter COVID-19 flare-ups that prevent children from attending school, "so we'll follow his lead."

On Thursday, Biden announced sweeping new federal vaccine requirements affecting as many as 100 million Americans in an all-out effort to increase COVID-19 vaccinations and curb the surging delta variant.

Lamont said that businesses in Connecticut are waiting on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, charged with administrating the new federal vaccine mandate, to "set up some of the rules" before "sitting down with labor" to get the mandate implemented in the Nutmeg State.

Noting that the coronavirus vaccines for people under age 16 are still available only under emergency use authorization, and not formally approved by the Food & Drug Administration, Lamont said there were still no plans to mandate that school children be vaccinated.

At the news conference, held in Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill, Lamont said he understood "where the President is coming from." The governor acknowledged that legislating during the coronavirus pandemic has seen some tough sledding

"Emotions are running really raw when it comes to COVID, really raw when it comes to some of the things we've tried to implement to keep people safe," Lamont said. "Sometimes if you push too hard, people push back."

The daily coronavirus positivity in the state continued its downward trajectory coming off the weekend on Monday. According to the latest data from the Department of Public Health, the rate was 2.34 percent down about 0.40 percent from Friday, on the basis of 1,348 positive cases found in 57,631 tests.

Hospitalizations also plummeted over the weekend, down 37 beds for a total of 327. Most of those are laid up in Hartford County (109), followed by New Haven County (80).

Of the 2,331 new cases confirmed over the past seven days, 1,863 (79.9 percent) were among unvaccinated residents, and 468 (20.1 percent) were fully vaccinated.

See Also: CT Coronavirus Breakthrough Cases On Rise: Yale Study

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