As the world tries to escape the grasp of COVID-19, several countries have toyed with the idea of having a passport that proves that someone doesn’t have the virus. New York is leading the charge by teaming up with IBM to release the world’s first digital COVID-19 passport.
How New York Is Tackling COVID-19
The announcement broke on the New York State Governor website. The COVID-19 passport app goes by the name ” Excelsior Pass” and aims to allow people to move freely with just their phone on them.
One big obstacle for re-opening stores and resuming flights is ensuring everyone who arrives is healthy. Different countries have proposed their own way to achieve this, but some have adopted the idea of a COVID-19 passport app that declares the user as vaccinated or recently tested negative.
Excelsior Pass aims to bring this functionality to New York. Once someone receives the vaccine or a negative test result, they also get a special QR code that verifies it. The user can then either show the code on their screen or print it out for someone asking for it.
From the announcement, it appears that there are plans to make a COVID-19 passport essential for specific venues. The article claims that “participating New Yorkers may choose to use Excelsior Pass to verify their COVID-19 vaccination or negative test results as needed to gain entry to major stadiums and arenas, wedding receptions, or catered and other events above the social gathering limit.”
As such, while the announcement reminds the reader that Excelsior Pass is entirely voluntary to download and use, New Yorkers may find themselves pushed to provide one if they want to attend venues that exceed COVID-19 rules.
Steve LaFleche, who works as a General Manager for IBM Public and Federal Markets, is quick to put down any anti-privacy worries stemming from Excelsior Pass:
In choosing a flexible and accessible tool that places security and privacy at its core, the state is modeling for the rest of the country how new, technology-enabled approaches can help safely reinvigorate economies while also striving to protect public health.
If you’re in New York and you’re interested in this technology, be sure to check out the Excelsior Pass overview webpage for more information and links to download the app.
Is This Our Passport Out of the COVID-19 Lockdown?
While many countries have mulled over the idea of a COVID-19 passport, New York is the first to deliver a digital version to help people prove they’re safe from the virus. Will the technology take off, or will other countries and US states lobby for another way to lift the lockdown?
While New York and IBM earned the title for the first digital COVID-19 passport, they’re by no means the only ones in the running. Microsoft is also building its own version of the passport alongside global healthcare organizations in a bid to free the world once more.
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