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Colorado health officials explore idea of vaccine passports as more and more residents are inoculated

State public health department says it’s looking at what’s working elsewhere
colorado vaccine vaccination covid
Posted at 11:25 AM, Apr 05, 2021
and last updated 2021-04-05 13:25:50-04

With almost all Coloradans now eligible for COVID-19 vaccines, a new question lingers about the state’s return to normal: Will residents be required to show proof of immunization to once again attend concerts, restaurants and sporting events?

As of now, there is no statewide program and White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Friday that any potential vaccine passports will be “driven by the private sector.” But local public health experts said it’s likely we’ll see such initiatives in the coming months — and Colorado’s health department is looking into vaccine passports.

“While we are exploring what’s working in other states, anything we do will be specific to Colorado and our needs,” a spokesperson for the state Department of Public Health and Environment said in an email. “A business could not access a customer’s protected health information, such as their COVID-19 immunization status, unless that person volunteered that information.”

The idea behind a passport program, such as the one just launched in New York, is that people could use an app or other digital method to confirm they are vaccinated to resume activities — particularly for travel or attending large entertainment and sporting events — that have been restricted during the pandemic.

Read the rest from our partners at The Denver Post.