The country’s first “vaccine passport” is coming to the Big Apple.
The program, dubbed the “Excelsior Pass,” is an app that will allow New Yorkers to prove their vaccination status, or recent history of a negative COVID-19 test, to gain access to events and business, Governor Cuomo announced in a statement. press release Friday.
“Similar to a mobile airline boarding pass, individuals will be able to print their card or store it on their smartphones using the Excelsior Pass Wallet app,” explains the press release.
“Each Pass will have a secure QR code, which participating companies and locations can scan using a complementary application to verify proof of negative results from the COVID-19 test or proof of vaccination. An individual’s data is kept safe and confidential at all times. ”
The application will not show any health information when scanned – it will only show a green check mark if the person has been vaccinated or tested negatively or a red “x” if not.
Major venues, like Madison Square Garden and the Times Union Center in Albany, will start using the app next week, and on April 2, the Excelsior Pass will be expanded to “arts, entertainment and smaller events,” said the office. from Cuomo.
The application, launched Friday, already works to prove vaccination or negative test results and can be used to access wedding receptions, which now require negative exams from participants, and other events above the fraternization limit.
“New Yorkers have proven that they can follow public health guidelines to beat COVID, and the innovative Excelsior Pass is another tool in our new toolbox to fight the virus, allowing more sectors of the economy to reopen safely and maintain secure personal information, ”Cuomo said in a statement.
“The question of ‘public health or economics’ has always been a false choice – the answer must be both. As more New Yorkers are vaccinated each day and major public health measures continue to regularly reach their lowest rates in months, the nation’s first Excelsior Pass heralds the next step in our careful, science-based reopening. “
The app, launched after two pilot demonstrations in the past few weeks, will use blockchain technology and encryption to ensure that health information is stored securely.
To sign up, New Yorkers can register by downloading the app and entering personal information to verify their identity. The app will then extract data from the state’s vaccine registry and from several pre-approved COVID-19 testing companies.