DeSantis
© cnn.comFlorida Governor Ron DeSantis
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will be taking executive action to forbid COVID passports in the State of Florida, it was reported on Monday.

"DeSantis said he will be issuing an executive order forbidding vaccine passports in the state," NBC reported. "The governor is also calling on the Republican-led Legislature to consider a measure addressing 'vaccine passports' but did not give specifics." He said:
"We are not supporting doing any vaccine passports in the state of Florida. 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."

"You want the fox to guard the henhouse? I mean, give me a break.

"I think this is something that has huge privacy implications. It is not necessary to do. You know, we're going to have hit 3.5 million seniors that have gotten shots sometime this week. Likely 75% of seniors. It's important to be able to do it. But at the same time, we are not going to have you provide proof of this just to be able to live your life normally. And I am going to be taking some action, in the executive function, emergency function here, very shortly."
On Sunday, it was reported that the Biden administration is set to launch a COVID passport that would track Americans that took the vaccine, despite warnings by civil rights advocates.

The Washington Post reported on Sunday:
"The Biden administration and private companies are working to develop a standard way of handling credentials — often referred to as 'vaccine passports' — that would allow Americans to prove they have been vaccinated against the novel coronavirus as businesses try to reopen. The effort has gained momentum amid President Biden's pledge that the nation will start to regain normalcy this summer and with a growing number of companies — from cruise lines to sports teams — saying they will require proof of vaccination before opening their doors again."
New York launched its COVID passport on Friday, following a trial run on thousands of New Yorkers testing the program. The Excelsior Passport is "the first of its kind to be rolled out in United States and allows specific sites that administer COVID vaccines or test for the coronavirus to upload the data to the app," the Gothamist reported.

It is encouraging to see at least one U.S. governor gets it: Restrictions on civil liberties and state surveillance should never be tolerated, whether it is implemented under the guise of safety or public health.