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Excelsior Pass frustrates NYC as 'proof of vaccination' becomes mandatory: 'NY is doomed'

The Excelsior Pass is free of cost, a voluntary digital platform for NYC residents to show their vaccination status or recent history of a negative Covid-19 test

NYC is likely to become the first city in the US to require 'proof of vaccination' to participate in indoor activities such as dining, live performances, gyms and others. Mayor Bill de Blasio made the announcement on Tuesday morning, August 3. This is a first-of-its-kind program in the US amid the Covid-19 scare.

The new mandate, which is expected to begin rolling out the week of August 16 will require vaccination for workers and customers within indoor dining, fitness and entertainment facilities. However, it won’t be fully enforced until a month later, beginning September 13. Also, it is timed as such to align with school and office reopenings. Reportedly, Broadway is also expected to reopen on September 14.

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Announcing the mandate, De Blasio said during a press conference, "The only way to patronize these establishments indoors will be if you’re vaccinated, at least one dose. The same for folks in terms of work, they’ll need at least one dose. This is crucial because we know this will encourage a lot more vaccination. We need people to use one of those things if they want to go to indoor dining or entertainment or fitness facilities." De Blasio then explained that the mandate will be enforced via 'a strategy' dubbed 'Key to NYC Pass'. The health pass or the vaccine passport program will allow citizens to provide proof of vaccination to businesses and venues through the city’s app, the 'Excelsior Pass' or their CDC vaccination card. "I’m confident this will bring about an increase in vaccination at a moment when we desperately need it. This is not an easy policy. It’s not a policy without controversy. But that has defined every difficult decision we’ve had to make in this crisis," De Blasio further said.

What is Excelsior Pass?

The Excelsior Pass is free of cost, a voluntary digital platform for NYC residents to show their vaccination status or recent history of a negative Covid-19 test. The description on the state website read, "Similar to a mobile airline boarding pass, New Yorkers can store passes digitally on their smartphones or print them out to present at participating businesses and venues."

According to city data, only 55 per cent of New Yorkers are fully vaccinated, while around 60 per cent have gotten at least one dose. Councilmember Mark Levine, who also serves as the chair of the New York City council’s Committee on Health spoke of the mandate and said, "This measure will make indoor settings where people are likely to take their mask off, they’re likely to be close together, socializing, speaking where ventilation may not be good, in short, all the conditions that the delta virus wants to spread — this initiative will make those places safer."

'F**k that Excelsior Pass'

As soon as the announcement was made public, people flooded Twitter with all kinds of reactions to the mandate and the use of Excelsior Pass. One user wrote, "So it’s really happening. They’re forcing you to get vaccinated in order to be outside. F**k that Excelsior Pass. I’m not that pressed to be anywhere the f***ing government is shoving down my throat. NY is doomed." Another commented, "My biggest concern is that NYC’s “Excelsior Pass” is only the beginning. We saw how quickly Americans were willing to trade their privacy for security after 9/11. A politicized pandemic coupled with an expanding surveillance state AND society doesn’t bode well for freedom."

One tweet read, "This is the funniest take to me because the Excelsior Pass only uses information they *already have* in order to populate it into a QRC for your phone. There is no privacy trade here — you already traded it by getting the shot." One user tweeted, "This New York Mandate Excelsior Pass has me uneasy. If they want to push the vaccine more, why don't they focus their efforts on getting it FDA approved first? I'm sure more people will feel comfortable getting it then."