The White House said on Tuesday it would not impose a health passport on Americans to show they have been vaccinated against Covid-19, while stressing that the private sector was free to move forward with the idea.
Read also: Covid-19: the United Kingdom will test a health passport system from mid-April
“
The government does not support, and will not support, a system that requires Americans to have a certificate,
” White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
"
There will be no federal database on vaccinations, nor any federal obligation requiring everyone to obtain a vaccination certificate
," she adds during her daily press conference.
The strongest interest in this idea comes from private companies, anxious to reopen sites where “
a large number of people
”, such as stadiums or theaters, continued the spokesperson.
The Biden administration will publish "
advice
" with "
important answers to the questions that Americans ask themselves, in particular around personal data, security or discrimination
”.
"
On the federal government side, our interest is simple, and that is that the personal data and rights of Americans must be protected, and therefore that these systems are not used against people unfairly,
" said Jen Psaki. .
Facilitate the resumption of travel
Several countries have implemented or are planning to introduce a
health
"
passport
" showing that an individual has been vaccinated against Covid-19, in order to facilitate the resumption of large gatherings and travel.
The idea has nonetheless sparked strong criticism and concerns about possible discrimination and the protection of private data.