The governor of the US state of Alabama has signed a law that prohibits companies and public authorities from requesting vaccination passports for corona vaccines from visitors.
Governor Kay Ivey says he wants to ensure that getting a vaccination remains voluntary. Ivey adds that he has been vaccinated himself and encourages all residents of his state to do the same.
Alabama educational institutions may require students to provide proof of vaccinations, but not specifically for a Covid-19 vaccine. It only concerns explicitly vaccinations that an institution already needed on January 1, 2021, such as vaccinations against measles and polio. Students who have not been vaccinated for medical or religious reasons are exempt from that rule.
US authorities believe that denial of vaccination is an obstacle to the fight against Covid-19. However, President Joe Biden’s administration is against requiring vaccine passports to encourage people to get a shot. The White House talks with US airlines about how they can use vaccine passports to make international aviation safer.
In the United States, about 43 percent of the population has now been vaccinated against the coronavirus. Earlier this month, the CDC announced that vaccinated Americans no longer need to wear face masks or keep their distance from other people in most cases.
