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Medicine

Florida Governor Issues Executive Order Prohibiting COVID-19 Vaccine Passports (wtxl.com) 368

Posted by BeauHD from the freedom-vs-safety dept.
New submitter v1 writes: "Governor Ron DeSantis issued an executive order Friday forbidding local governments and businesses from requiring proof of a COVID-19 vaccine," reports WTXL-TV. In addition to local businesses and governments, this move is certain to rub the restarting cruise ship businesses the wrong way. Let the lawsuits begin! The executive order reads, in part: "No Florida government entity, or its subdivisions, agents, or assigns, shall be permitted to issue vaccine passports, vaccine passes, or other standardized documentation for the purpose of certifying an individual's COVID-19 vaccination status to a third party, or otherwise publish or share any individual's COVID-19 vaccination record or similar health information."

The full executive order can be found here (PDF)
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Florida Governor Issues Executive Order Prohibiting COVID-19 Vaccine Passports More

Florida Governor Issues Executive Order Prohibiting COVID-19 Vaccine Passports

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  • And in related news (Score:5, Insightful)

    by rossdee ( 243626 ) on Friday April 02, 2021 @05:27PM (#61229930)

    Rest of world bans Floridians from traveling there.

    • I thought that already happened

    • It's a political move, that's all. Florida governor orders Florida government... NEWS AT 11!!!

      Basically he said no Fl government or agent can issue vaccine passports... And no Fl govt or state supported business can restrict service based on vaccine passports.

      Everyone else can do whatever. Which is basically what everyone is doing. The Federal level CDC provides the form. Private business fills it out and provides it to those who get the shot (Health is private in the US). No Fl agency is providing the

    • "No Florida government entity, or its subdivisions, agents, or assigns, shall be permitted to issue vaccine passports, vaccine passes, or other standardized documentation for the purpose of certifying an individual's COVID-19 vaccination status to a third party, or otherwise publish or share any individual's COVID-19 vaccination record or similar health information."

      Pretty much, just because Florida refuses to grant vaccination passports doesn't stop rest of the world from demanding to see one. Florida is shooting it's people in the foot with that one.

  • I thought businesses were supposed to be able to pick who they want to do business with?

    • Re:What happened to freedom of association? (Score:5, Informative)

      by fahrbot-bot ( 874524 ) on Friday April 02, 2021 @05:42PM (#61230012)

      I thought businesses were supposed to be able to pick who they want to do business with?

      TFS and leading paragraph in TFA are misleading. The EO (included in TFA) only says the government isn't allowed to issue vaccination passports or publish records, and TFA goes on to say (below) that businesses that want state grants/contracts must abide. If they don't care about that, then I guess they don't have to comply.

      The order is effective immediately and all businesses must comply with this order to be eligible for grants or contracts funded through state revenue.

      I imagine he thinks that if he makes them impossible to obtain, businesses can't ask for and/or require them...

      • Re:What happened to freedom of association? (Score:4, Interesting)

        by msauve ( 701917 ) on Friday April 02, 2021 @06:00PM (#61230128)
        >the government isn't allowed to issue vaccination passports or publish records, and TFA goes on to say (below) that businesses that want state grants/contracts must abide.

        So, businesses can't issue vaccination passports. That's not at all what it says. It says businesses can't require proof of vaccination if they want state contracts..

        A business can still require masks, or distancing, or "dine outside", but grant an exception if you have a vaccination record, without falling outside the directive. That's not requiring a record, it's just providing a voluntary alternative to following other rules.

        • Re:What happened to freedom of association? (Score:5, Informative)

          by fahrbot-bot ( 874524 ) on Friday April 02, 2021 @06:20PM (#61230226)

          I've now read the actual EO not just he part in TFA (and followed up here [slashdot.org]) and Section 2 prohibits businesses from requiring proof of vaccination or recovery to enter or receive services. Not sure how that's legal -- and *not* hypocritical as DeSantis was supportive of the christian baker who didn't want to make a gay wedding cake...

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by Anonymous Coward

            Not sure how that's legal -- and *not* hypocritical as DeSantis was supportive of the christian baker who didn't want to make a gay wedding cake...

            When you're dealing with Republicans and Christians, hypocrisy is the name of the game.

        • Private businesses can require anything. Section 2 is restricted by Section 4 and Section 5. 2 doesn't say "All businesses..."

          Basically 4 says that only state backed businesses need to adhere to this order. And 5 says businesses can do whatever they want and patrons are not restricted from accessing their own health records. So in short, B can still ask P to provide proof and P can access their med records and provide it.

          But of course what he is hoping for is that people will misread and harass businesses

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by HiThere ( 15173 )

            And how would you operate a cruise line from Florida without interacting with the state government?
            It depends on the way enforcement is interpreted, but I wouldn't invest money in a cruise line in Florida that might be immediately shut down because access to the port was constructed with state funding.

            • Interaction with state isn't it. Dependency on state funding is.

              The port itself is governmental so it can't discriminate against customers but the ships can. And cruise ships aren't even American in the first place; they are incorporated in other countries.

      • Following up... Actually read actual EO and Section 2 (page 2) says:

        Section 2. Businesses in Florida are prohibited from requiring patrons or customers to provide any documentation certifying COVID-19 vaccination or post-transmission recovery to gain access to, entry upon, or service from the business.

        Not sure if this is legal and/or constitutional (state and/or federal), but imagine someone will probably challenge it. Then again, t's only about limiting the potential spread a deadly disease not something serious like requiring a christian baker to make a gay wedding cake ... /sarcasm

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by mysidia ( 191772 )

      They are. The executive order may be Illegal / outside the governor's lawful authority as the governor is claiming a power to "suspend statutes", Which are the laws passed by the legislature specifically designed to limit the power that the government agencies have.

      "executive agencies under my direction shall work to ensure businesses comply with this order. Any provision of Florida Statutes is hereby suspended solely to the extent it restricts a Florida agency from requiring compliance with this order

    • No wedding cakes if you don't have a vaccine!

  • dumb shit move (Score:5, Insightful)

    by bloodhawk ( 813939 ) on Friday April 02, 2021 @05:29PM (#61229942)
    All this can do is make Florida a no go zone for international travellers and their associated business. I guess florida must have enough business to be happy without that tourist trade.

    • Doubtful (Score:5, Insightful)

      by rsilvergun ( 571051 ) on Friday April 02, 2021 @05:46PM (#61230040)
      they have beaches and a Disneyland/world (I don't care which). All this is going to do is get the grandparents of the low wage workers who run their tourist industry killed or injured by the virus (and a few of the workers to boot).

      Meanwhile the GOP has a brand spanking new wedge issue to make voters ignore the ever worsening economy.

  • I got a CDC vaccination card with my shots (Score:5, Insightful)

    by HotNeedleOfInquiry ( 598897 ) on Friday April 02, 2021 @05:29PM (#61229944)
    Can't stop that.

  • Republicans are always in favor of Freedom (Score:3, Insightful)

    by rsilvergun ( 571051 ) on Friday April 02, 2021 @05:38PM (#61229990)
    except when it's for something they don't like.

    Don't want to bake a gay wedding cake? It's your God Given Right.

    Want proof of vaccination before you'll take a lungful of air from somebody? This is an outrage!
  • To properly implement, you would need a system that can validate the assertion of said document. That would require something that documents at least as well as birth certificates and driver licenses and provides the reach back for someone to check. Otherwise it is a meaningless piece of (perhaps laminated) piece of paper. Implementing such a system takes time and money.

    In addition, Florida has an open records law and I'm not sure the governor would have the legal authority to carve out an exemption for s

  • Re: (Score:2, Troll)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 )
    Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • How about a "license to be considered less dangerous"? This isn't arbitrary! People who refuse to get vaccinated aren't comparable to Sneetches born without stars.

  • State crackdown (Score:4, Interesting)

    by fermion ( 181285 ) on Friday April 02, 2021 @05:48PM (#61230054) Homepage Journal
    The state of Florida is cracking down hard the right of local citizens to set rules that work for them. For instance, the Keys set rules to help them cope with the fact that more cruise ships dock there the local economy can manage, and the state said they could not do so.

    Now local governments may well have cause to use vaccination to protect the public and industry. For instance, while some parents might be willing to expose their kids to a potentially serious virus, I bet the theme parks are going to open up to a lot more people if there were vaccine requirements. Cruise lines have already announce vaccine requirements. One can imagine crew of cruise ship using this to sue the cruise for requiring that all employees be vaccinated.

    There comes a point when reality needs to take precedence over loyalty to a leader or need to promote mythology.

  • No go zone (Score:5, Insightful)

    by andymadigan ( 792996 ) <amadigan@nOSpaM.gmail.com> on Friday April 02, 2021 @05:53PM (#61230084)
    Clearly the State of Florida has decided that it is firmly against public health. That is a completely insane position, and therefore travel to Florida should be avoided if at all possible. I will never travel to Florida again.

    For a state that is so dependent on tourism, it seems like a really bad idea for the government to take such an extreme position, as it will likely result in a long term drop in tourism. The people who agree with the policy won't change their behaviour, but at least some of the people who disagree with the policy (which is probably at least 30% of the US) will change their behaviour.

    Those of us that survive this pandemic will almost certainly see another one in our lifetimes.The places that learn lessons from COVID-19 will fare better next time. The places that bury their heads in the sand will be the next super spreader locales.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by dskoll ( 99328 )

      A large swath of the US is already in my no-go zone. FL has been there for a while.

    • No, you are ignorant and not using logic. The vaccines do not prevent you from spreading disease, you are just as much a threat to others with or without them. A vaccine giving "Sterilizing immunity" would justify your position but none of the covid vaccines give it. It's only purpose it to protect you from death or serious illness, there is zero protection for others.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by HiThere ( 15173 )

        They don't prevent you from spreading disease, as least that hasn't been proven. But they decrease the likelihood that you will spread COVID substantially, and they also decrease the period of time during which you are contagious.

        The world is not perfect, so that's probably the best we can hope for.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by hey! ( 33014 )

      I actually have my doubts about vaccine passports. I suspect they may be seen as license to engage in behaviors that pose a risk to others. While all the vaccines out there are extremely effective against severe COVID, they don't offer enough protection against mild or asymptomatic COVID that presents a risk to people who haven't been vaccinated yet.

      The real problem is the state de-fanging local mask mandates. Out on the panhandle it may be OK to loosen up, but Miami-Dade is in a tough spot with new case

  • No Shirt
    No Shoes
    No Vaccine
    No Service

    • why? none of the vaccines provide "sterilizing immunity", a person can still shed viruses and infect others. Therefore, there is no benefit to other people (other than being burden on medical system if you need treatment) and no more risk to other people whether you are vaccinated or not.

    • +1 for the post +1 for the Sig
  • Florida issues forms for proving immunization (DH 680) or religious exemption (DH 681) for the purposes of children attending school. Did the governor end this practice with his executive order?

  • Discounts (Score:4, Interesting)

    by dskoll ( 99328 ) on Friday April 02, 2021 @06:35PM (#61230286) Homepage

    Nothing in the Executive Order prohibits a business from charging people 100x as much for services, and then offering a 99% discount for those who can produce proof of vaccination.

  • it will be meaningless and just like an American Social Security # or EIN # anyone can get/buy one.
  • Some evolutionary biologists advance the idea of group selection [wikipedia.org]:

    Group selection is a proposed mechanism of evolution in which natural selection acts at the level of the group, instead of at the more conventional level of the individual.

    It's a controversial theory and rejected by many in biology. This could be a golden opportunity to see if group selection occurs in a real world setting with a self selected group. If enough Republicans die in Florida because they reject the reality that Covid-19 is a sig

  • Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • Captain Obvious says (Score:3)

    by nehumanuscrede ( 624750 ) on Friday April 02, 2021 @11:26PM (#61231158)

    Fewer people would have issues with Covid-19 vaccines had they not been rushed out the door to satisfy the " DO SOMETHING " crowd. There is a VERY good reason medical trials take so long. Anyone who has ever had severe side effects to a medication ( even fully tested and FDA approved ones ) will fully understand why some folks choose not to be first in line.

    Besides, if you look a bit further down the road than tomorrow, you'll realize the " vaccine passport " mandate won't last very long. Both the airline and the cruise industry run pretty close to the red line in terms of keeping their heads above water. Once you prohibit say . . . 30% or more folks from utilizing those services, it will take an ongoing government bailout to keep them out of bankruptcy. I figure once things simmer back down ( and the media quits fueling the fire ) we'll be back to business as usual soon enough. Something else will happen ( probably a War at the rate things are going ) and everyone will forget all about Covid-19.

    I'm genuinely curious what will happen when someones produces a vaccination card indicating they had received the Russian or Chinese versions of the vaccine. Does it count ? Or would it have to be one of the " approved " versions distributed within the US ? The same holds true for US Citizens traveling to other countries. Does the US version count, or will they demand you take the locally approved version ?

  • It would help... (Score:3)

    by Gonoff ( 88518 ) on Saturday April 03, 2021 @10:44AM (#61232434)

    ...if we didn't use the stupid name "vaccine passports"

    I am unclear why so many people get stressed over this. They carry a tracking device accurate to a few feet, that also has a built-in camera and microphone and a spook friendly communication device.

    They also carry various photo IDs, financial tracking tools (credit and debit cards) and walk past easily hackable CCTV cameras.

    Yes, there is a tiny minority who don't but they can't do much business anyway. For example, If someone who was asked to fix my roof wanted to be paid in cash, I would assume he wanted to avoid paying tax. Helping him do that would make me party to the crime so I would look elsewhere.

    If someone wants to keep their chances of getting Covid high by avoiding vaccination and are aware of the consequences (I suspect most aren't), that is their choice. If they want to interact with society, they need to join in and get their shots. If their doctor says they are allergic, that can go on the vaccination certificate instead. We can cope with their problem as part of a fair society.

  • Alternate headline (Score:3)

    by Dog-Cow ( 21281 ) on Saturday April 03, 2021 @03:09PM (#61233358)

    Or, in other words: GOP Governor Interferes in Private Businesses!

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