The past year and a half has definitely been a rollercoaster for everyone across the United States. The ride may finally be over as vaccine distribution increases.

Many people across the United States have begun the vaccination process to finally fight against Covid-19. This only means life may be going back to the norms of concerts, gatherings, sporting events and even lifting some mask rules.

The CDC has put out an announcement of vaccine passports. The vaccine passport is a smartphone app that will confirm that someone has been vaccinated. This will be used to allow you to enter a venue or get onto a plane. There has been a lot of push back and controversy surrounding this app. Such things as the government being able to closely monitor people and forcement of getting the vaccine. 

  Many controversies people are making up are not far fetched. The vaccines are new, and some people don’t feel they’re very safe to get yet . However, there are people who need to get it for extra precaution.

The passports would definitely make everyday life safer, but kind of intruding. On one hand you have people who are only vaccinated being able to do certain things like boarding a plane. This will definitely decrease the chances of the spread of Covid-19. However on the other hand, you have people who are not vaccinated who can’t do things that they were able to do before the pandemic.

White House officials have stated that these vaccination passports will not be mandated by the federal government, but by private and state run governments. 

Many states such as Illinois, Arizona, Arkansas, Montana, Florida, Idaho, Texas and South Dakota have issued executive orders to prohibit vaccine passports.  According to the Associated Press, ¨The bill makes it an unlawful discriminatory practice for a person or governmental entity to deny services, goods, privileges, licensing, educational opportunities or employment opportunities based on vaccination status or whether someone has an immunity passport¨.

Everyone has the right to their own opinion. Whether you want to get the vaccine or not, you should have that choice. The passports are on the right track of trying to get over this horrendous pandemic, but it’s not the only choice.

Continuing to follow the CDC guidelines to keep safe is the best thing to do right now. Wearing masks and keeping sanitized have already done wonders to bettering our community. We can definitely see that as schools, sports, and businesses are beginning to open again.