Just as Californians have to get driver’s licenses, a vaccine ‘passport’ is a good idea

The Sacramento Kings just had their first game with fans back in the Golden 1 Arena — just 1,600 of them, due to COVID protocols.

Fans have also been attending San Francisco Giants and Golden State Warriors games. To gain entry at the three teams’ events, fans are required to show either proof of vaccination for COVID, or a recent negative COVID test.

Such proof is often called a vaccine “passport” and the idea of it has rankled conservatives, like the governors of Texas, Florida and Idaho. They banned such verification on the grounds that passports amount to personal medical records and infringe on personal freedom.

In California, Rocklin Republican Assemblyman Kevin Kiley has introduced a bill to ban such documentation. His measure stands little chance of passage in the Democratic-controlled statehouse.

The idea of requiring proof of health is not new, nor is it illegal, experts say. And while California Gov. Gavin Newsom has not required a vaccine passport, his administration is not discouraging such, either.

Instead, the governor is leaving it up to businesses and other institutions to determine whether to ask for proof of vaccination.

One only has to look at the sports teams to know such proof will be a standard everyone will need to meet, at least in the near term, and that is a good thing.

Pandemic politics

Like most issues involving the pandemic, politics has gotten involved in this debate. Republicans like Kiley argue that the government should not require providing “personal health information in order to just go about your daily activities.

“I think that would be a very dangerous thing,” he told Sacramento television station Fox 40. “It goes against fundamental notions or privacy and liberty, and it’s not a road we want to go down.”

Actually, Californians routinely share personal information in lots of ways already. A passport is simply a common sense health protection.

Consider childhood vaccinations. Proof of vaccinations is required to start kindergarten, and the law has gotten more restrictive in recent years when it comes to exemptions. Showing that a 5-year-old has been vaccinated for mumps, rubella and other diseases is as “intrusive” as providing a COVID vaccination card to enter a Giants game.

Then there is the California driver’s license. If one wants to operate a vehicle in the Golden State, one must provide their home address, height and weight. There is the widely despised personal photo on the card as well.

The current situation is not America’s first go-round with requiring proof of immunization. When a smallpox epidemic hit the nation starting in 1899, there was a national push for vaccination. Official certificates were needed to go to work, attend school, ride trains, even go to the theater. Police in cities like Boston and New York were enlisted to enforce vaccination orders.

COVID-proof seating

The Los Angeles Dodgers just announced a new seating plan that will allow large groups to watch the game together. The one condition? Everyone must be vaccinated and show proof of that or a negative COVID test. Such spectators will get to sit in what the Dodgers are calling the “fully vaccinated fan section.”

Even something as counter-culture as the Burning Man festival in the Black Rock desert of Nevada may require vaccination proof for attendance this year.

These efforts in California come as the state has marked the lowest case rate in the nation for the virus, yet nationally, vaccine supplies began to outstrip the number of people making appointments for shots. Health experts say for America to achieve the hoped-for herd immunity, 70% to 85% of the population has to be immune to the virus.

With more counties now in the orange tier of California’s COVID monitoring, fans will be allowed to fill 67% capacity of outdoor stadiums if they show proof of vaccination or having been tested negative for the virus.

If it takes getting a passport to gain entry to a Kings game or good seats at Dodgers Stadium, so be it. That will be the ticket to overcoming this pandemic.

This story was originally published April 23, 2021 at 5:00 AM.