The Biden Administration is developing a national coronavirus vaccine passport scheme for Americans so they can prove they've been vaccinated when things eventually go back to normal, but Texas isn't having any of it.
Governor Greg Abbott has already banned the passports before they've even materialized.
And he's not the only one.
Keep scrolling to find out who else has snubbed the president's proposal.
The news comes after Joe Biden made the announcement that he hopes to have all adults who are eligible vaccinated by May.
Let's hope he sticks to his word because this last year has been the worst we've experienced in decades.
But now, spirits are high as more and more people continue to get vaccinated.
Because at least 107 million people have received the first dose of the vaccine here in the States and at least sixty million have had both doses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For many, the success of the vaccine has signaled an end to the dark days of the pandemic...
But for a scarily huge amount of others, the positive attitude isn't shared.
​The internet has been rife with extreme conspiracies about the vaccine and its safety...
Whoever believes that vaccines are biological weapons should not get a COVID vaccine. Vaccine hesitancy is fine, we can cure that with education and information. But spreading misinformation, conspiracy theories, and lies--that's unforgivable.
— JR Santiago (@oslecjunior) February 18, 2021
Which, of course, has put a lot of people off from being vaccinated.
It's of the utmost importance to ignore these ridiculous rumors...
Because at the end of the day, the people who created these vaccines are professionals and they wouldn't allow something to be administered worldwide if it was dangerous.
Well, it seems as if President Biden has definitely been ignoring these rumors...
And he actually has very high hopes over the distribution of the vaccine here in the U.S.
So much so that the president has promised to make all adults in the U.S eligible for COVID-19 vaccination by May 1.
"All adult Americans will be eligible to get a vaccine no later than May 1st," President Biden said a few weeks ago in a national address on the one-year anniversary of the pandemic being declared.
He went on:
"That's much earlier than expected. Let me be clear, that doesn't mean everyone's going to have that shot immediately, but it means you'll be able to get in line beginning May 1st."
The announcement marks a sharp shift toward federal control over the pandemic response...
Because so far, individual states have largely been tasked with leading vaccine rollout and setting eligibility requirements.
So this means that although there will more than likely be a long wait for the vaccine...
It's definitely on the horizon.
And the Biden administration hasn't stopped there.
They're already planning on how we can get back to "normal life" as soon as most people in the country have been vaccinated.
It all starts with what is known as a "vaccine passport."
As reported by multiple outlets, the administration is said to be working on a scheme in which adults that have been fully vaccinated against the virus can prove they have with an official "passport" of some sort, before entering private venues such as movie theatres and offices.
The Washington Post further reported that 5 officials spoke anonymously to them about it and said they're getting companies to develop the scheme.
This is good news as it gives certain venues a way to open up again without the possibility of a deadly outbreak.
This is likely to be extended to other venues such as sports arenas, music venues, or restaurants, or traveling internationally.
The "passports" will likely take the form of a scannable code displayed on smartphones, private developers told The Post, while users without smartphones will be able to print the codes to carry around with them.
​But even though this idea has proved to be popular in a lot of places, others have already banned it completely.
​The latest to do so is none other than Texas governor, Greg Abbott.
Posting to Twitter on Tuesday, Abbott outlined why he decided to ban vaccine passports before they had even been administered, with the caption stating that no one is going to "tread on our personal freedoms."
The move has already been slammed as "dangerous" by Texans and other American citizens.
So children don't have to be vaccinated to go to school now? Your argument is absolutely ridiculous. Why do you have to politicize everything? I'll proudly show that I'm vaccinated.
— Heather (TX) 🇺🇸 (@hka003) April 6, 2021
If Texans have to present an ID to vote, they should also present proof of vaccination to resume a normal life protecting other Texans.
— Carolita (@Carolit45489695) April 6, 2021
It’s not that big of a deal it’s only a card.
— SW_Panther (@SW_Panther99) April 6, 2021
Last I checked there were still a bunch of Texans without water nearly 2 months after a winter storm. But this is important to you? You do you Greg.
— ✨Dianne The History Teacher✨ (@TxBuckeyeBabe) April 6, 2021
hell yeah, now get rid of driver's licenses too, and abolish the crime of trespassing, people should be able to go about their daily lives.
— Max Kennerly (@MaxKennerly) April 6, 2021
"personal freedom" and all that, right?
They aren’t revealing private information. Just that they are vaccinated. You just continue to create divide.
— Roxanne Perdue (@RoxannePerdue) April 6, 2021
Literally, there is no such thing as a "vaccine passport" at this time at any level of government or by any business, but we have Republican state governors playing politics and banning them?
— Andrew (Andy) Rose (@IAmNotAndyRose) April 6, 2021
Thank you for taking such a strong stand against things that don't exist. This is even bolder than your executive order against werewolves.
— David Liss (@David_Liss) April 6, 2021
In the 2 videos posted on Abbott's official Twitter account, he discussed why Texas would value banning these said passports.
"These vaccines are always voluntary and never forced," he said adding encouragement for Texans to get the jab.
"We will continue to vaccinate more Texans and protect public health," he continued, "and we will do so without treading on Texans' personal freedoms."
The order prevents any state-run organization or private business from demanding that their staff or customers show a vaccine passport to gain access.
And they're not the only state to do this. Governor DeSantis of Flordia also backed a similar order saying this in a press conference the day before: "It's completely unacceptable for either the government or the private sector to impose upon you the requirement that you show proof of vaccine to just simply be able to participate in normal society."
He continued:
"Requiring so-called COVID-19 vaccine passports for taking part in everyday life — such as attending a sporting event, patronizing a restaurant, or going to a movie theater — would create 2 classes."
The heavily populated red state has vaccinated over thirteen million of its people out of the twenty-nine million that there are.
The news comes after Abbott had also fully scrapped the mask mandate and re-opened all business at full capacity, even despite warnings from health officials.
You can watch the videos of Greg Abbott speaking about the issue here:
Sound on: pic.twitter.com/UgrO6YFgxh
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) April 6, 2021
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