By Eric Mack
While the White House is talking about the emerging vaccine passports being considered around the world, the administration noted concerns about Americans’ privacy protections will keep it a private and not governmental mandate.
“Let me very clear on this, I know there’s been lots of questions: The government is not now, nor will we be, supporting a system that requires Americans to carry a credential,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters during Tuesday’s daily press briefing.
“There will be no federal vaccination database and no federal mandate requiring everyone to obtain a single vaccination credential.”
Psaki noted it is merely the private-sector issue the White House is discussing.
“As these tools are being considered by the private and non-profit sectors, our interest is very simple from the federal government” prospective, Psaki added. “Americans’ privacy and rights should be protected, so that these systems are not used against people unfairly.”
Psaki acknowledged the private sector “movement” to consider vaccination requirements for their businesses, so people “can return to events where there are large swaths of people safely in soccer stadiums or theaters.”
“That’s where the idea originated, and we expect that’s where it will be concluded,” she continued. “We will be providing some guidance which will look like an FAQ.”
FAQ is an acronym for frequently asked questions.
“I hate acronyms, but it will provide answers to important questions that Americans have, in particular around concerns about privacy, security, or discrimination,” she said.
The guidance is coming “soon.”
“I don’t have an exact date for that yet,” she concluded.