Vaccine passports could be coming to Montgomery County
SILVER SPRING, Md. - Vaccine passports are being implemented in some other parts of the country – and now they may be making their way to Montgomery County.
County Executive Marc Elrich says he’s proposing the idea to the county council as a way to make people more comfortable about going out.
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Much like showing your boarding pass or concert ticket on your phone, the proposed passport would allow Montgomery County residents to upload their vaccination status on an app.
Businesses and restaurants could then use the app to check people at the door if that business only allows vaccinated or tested people to enter.
Theaters and concert venues all over the D.C. region are already requiring proof of vaccination.
READ MORE: Some DC bars require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for entry
Elrich says he thinks the passport would attract more people to Montgomery County.
"We want to make it as simple as possible and we want to work with the restaurants but I really think that they are going to benefit from this and it’s about time that we did something different in Montgomery County has had a positive impact than making these really difficult decisions," he said.
The data is already available from the Maryland State Health website.
Elrich tells FOX 5 that while capacity and other restrictions limit people’s ability to do things, the vaccine passport would encourage them to do more things.
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He also says it would make vaccinated people more confident about going to businesses because it would be more difficult for them to come in contact with unvaccinated people.
Residents that FOX 5 talked to, however, had mixed opinions – some saying it’s "a little intrusive" and others saying it’s a "good idea."
New York State already created a vaccine passport called the Excelsior Pass, which is available on mobile phones.
Any such move in Montgomery County would require approval from the county council, which also serves as the board of health.
Elrich believes that – if approved – the app could be up and running this fall.