Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vows to FORBID requiring customers to show 'vaccine passports'

Ron DeSantis told Floridians on Monday that he will not allow residents of the state to be restricted by any sort of ‘vaccine passport’ as Joe Biden’s team said it would leave it to the private sector to impose rules regarding this system.

‘We are not supporting doing any sort of vaccine passport,’ Florida’s Republican governor said regarding the proposal that individuals carry a method of proving they’ve been vaccinated against coronavirus.

‘It’s completely unacceptable,’ he continued. ‘You want to go to a movie theater, should you have to show that? No. You want to go to a game, [or] a theme park? No. So we’re not supportive of that.’

DeSantis, a Donald Trump ally, is preparing to sign an executive order as soon as Tuesday barring so-called vaccine passports, which some other countries have implemented or weighed implementing.

He is also calling for the Florida legislature to pass a bill banning the action permanently. 

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is preparing to sign an executive order as soon as Tuesday that will ban businesses from requiring customers present a so-called ‘vaccine passport’ 

The announcement comes as Joe Biden’s administration said it would leave it up to the ‘private sector’ to decide if they want to require proof of inoculation to allow people inside

President Biden signed an executive order in January directing federal agencies to explore feasibility of connecting COVID-19 vaccines to some sort of vaccine cards.

‘Consistent with applicable law, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of HHS, and the Secretary of Homeland Security (including through the Administrator of the TSA), in coordination with any relevant international organizations, shall assess the feasibility of linking COVID-19 vaccination to International Certificates of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP) and producing electronic versions of ICVPs,’ the executive order reads.

The White House, however, said Monday that it would not be imposing any restrictions at the federal level related to vaccine passports, like keeping a nationwide database of those inoculated.

Instead, Biden’s Press Secretary Jen Psaki reiterated to reporters Monday that the government would leave it up to the ‘private sector’ on whether they want to require proof of vaccination before allowing customers inside their establishments.

‘We’re going to provide guidance, just as we have, through the CDC,’ Psaki said regarding any sort of vaccination requirement and passport. ‘There’s currently an interagency process that is looking at many of the questions around vaccine verification.’

‘We expect… that a determination or development of a vaccine passport, or whatever you want to call it, will be driven by the private sector,’ she continued in her briefing with reporters at the White House Monday. ‘Ours will more be focused on guidelines that can be used as a basis.’

She assured ‘there will be no centralized, universal federal vaccinations database and no federal mandate requiring everyone to obtain a single vaccination credential.’

The announcement from DeSantis on banning businesses from requiring proof of vaccination came at the same time he signed a bill Monday designed to shield companies from pandemic-related lawsuits.

DeSantis cited privacy concerns in the upcoming order banning the passports, claiming allowing corporations to have access to vaccination information is like letting ‘fox fox guard the henhouse.’