One of the primary concerns raised by some in the media concerning President Joe Biden’s reported “vaccine passports” is that while it’ll be virtually impossible for the administration to make them mandatory at anywhere other than federal property or buildings, it might be a way for private businesses to essentially make them mandatory by requiring them for entry.
Sure, the passports might not be mandatory, per see, but if you want to pop into your local supermarket or hardware store, it’s certainly not out of the question that there may come a time in the near future when you’ll have to show official proof that you’ve been vaccinated.
But according to the Washington Examiner, that most certainly won’t be the case in Florida, where Gov. Ron DeSantis made crystal clear on Monday that no businesses or entities in his state will be allowed to use vaccine passports as a requirement for customers to conduct their daily business.
That idea was reinforced on Monday by White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who told reporters that vaccine passports “will be driven by the private sector.”
.@GovRonDeSantis on vaccine passports:
“You want the fox to guard the hen house? I mean, give me a break. I think this is something that has huge privacy implications.
It is not necessary to do.”pic.twitter.com/IiKXjsnMTu
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 29, 2021
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“We are not supporting doing any vaccine passports in the state of Florida,” DeSantis said on Monday. “It’s completely unacceptable for either the government or the private sector to impose upon you the requirement that you show proof of vaccine to just simply be able to participate in normal society.”
The Florida governor, who is probably one of the most freedom-friendly governors in the entire country, also hinted that Republicans in the Sunshine State could take action on the vaccine passport ahead of time, to make sure laws are in the books should the time come when businesses attempt to implement the controversial strategy.
It would be difficult for any reasonable, honest person to argue with how DeSantis has handled the COVID-19 pandemic in his state. While other states were fearmongering its residents into staying inside and keeping children locked in their bedrooms, Florida residents were free to go about their business and many schools remained open.
And guess what? The state is one of the most successful in the country as far as case rates and deaths are concerned — which is especially impressive given the number of vulnerable, senior residents who call the state home.
There’s good reason why DeSantis polls so highly concerning the possibility of a 2024 presidential run. The man clearly believes in letting Americans exercise their God-given freedom and it turns out that most Americans enjoy that.
ARTICLE SOURCE: thefederalistpapers.org
