The White House insisted that the federal government would not support a system that would require Americans to hold so-called “vaccine passports. It also hinted that it would leave the issue to the private sector in the new mask guidelines.
According to Foxnews, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new mask guidelines last week, stating that fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks indoors or outdoors, nor do they need to maintain social distance. Nevertheless, the CDC still recommends that fully vaccinated individuals wear masks in crowded indoor environments, such as on public transportation, in hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters.
However, the new guidelines raise the question of how people can prove that they are fully vaccinated and therefore do not need to wear a mask.
At a news conference on Monday (May 17), White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked if the administration would implement a “vaccine passport” system.
“It doesn’t change our view that the federal government will not play that role,” Psaki said. “The private sector probably will. And there may be a push for the private sector to take action, which we think is more appropriate.”
Last month, Psaki said the White House would not support vaccine passports because of privacy concerns. But some have argued that mandating a “vaccine passport” could accelerate the reopening of travel and the economy.
In April, Psaki said, “The administration does not support, and will not support, a system that requires Americans to have a certificate of vaccination.”
However, at a news conference Monday, Psaki defended the CDC’s new guidelines, saying they “provide information to the public on how to keep themselves safe.”
“If you’re not vaccinated, wear a mask, and that applies to children, too,” Psaki said. “If you’ve been vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask.”
Psaki added that the guidelines “give people the information and the power to have so they can protect themselves.”
We know people are digesting this, we’ve all been wearing masks for 14 months,” she said. Different companies, different organizations, different communities will implement this based on a range of factors, including vaccination levels, cases, etc., and we should all respect that.”
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