COVID 19 vaccine

When COVID-19 vaccination passports are accessible, will jobs require one to return to work?

ByLuz Pena KGO logo

Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Will jobs require COVID-19 vaccine passport to return to work?

As tech companies develop a COVID-19 vaccine passport, many are wondering, will jobs require one to return to work?

Some of the major tech companies and health organization are joining forces to create a COVID-19 vaccination passport.

A digital pass, called "Common Pass," is already being used by several airlines as proof of negative coronavirus results before travel.

"Initially for international travel where people are getting tested in one country and upload those test results to Common Pass. Then they use them to demonstrate that they satisfy the requirement for the country they are flying to," said Paul Meyer, CEO of The Commons Project foundation.

Dr. Ashwini Zenooz is Salesforce's chief medical officer.

"This is a way for people to get back to our new normal in a safe way," said Dr. Zenooz.

Salesforce along with Microsoft and Oracle are part of this initiative.

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It's the dream on the horizon, a world without masks, where you glide through the airport or sit down to dinner wherever you want. The question now is, will you need a so-called "vaccine passport" to get there?

"You get your vaccination or your COVID-19 test. Say you're negative you then get your vaccination (credential) and you can download that onto your smartphone into your Apple Wallet or Google Pay and... store it in there," said Dr. Zenooz.

Meyer is one of the coordinators of the vaccine credential initiate.

Luz Pena: "When do you project that the general public is going to be required to hold a vaccination passport with them before they enter a school, the movies or even their workplace?"

Paul Meyer: "I think communities and institutions are going to make those decisions. Last week the Los Angeles County School District announced that they were going to require vaccination records for children when schools reopen again. This is a decision

again communities will make, organizations will make and some employers saying they are going to require to get vaccinated.

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These experts believe the closer we get to mass vaccine distribution, the more imperative a vaccine passport will be.

Luz Pena: "Do you project that maybe some people won't be allowed to go back to work without a vaccination passport that proves that they did in fact get the COVID-19 vaccine?"

Paul Meyer: "I think some employers are making a decision to require vaccination and I think the EEOC issues a ruling in December that it's up to employers to make that decision"

As to when it'll be available for the general public?

"We'll come back to you on that, but we've already hearing discussions on this being a requirement for several places. Timeline for me would be in the next few weeks," said Dr. Zenooz.

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