The End of Vaccine Passports?
By Neenah Payne
In February, The New York Times article As Israel Reopens, ‘Whoever Does Not Get Vaccinated Will Be Left Behind’ reported:
“Israel has raced ahead with the fastest Covid vaccination campaign in the world, inoculating nearly half its population with at least one dose. Now, the rapid rollout is turning the country into a live laboratory for setting the rules in a vaccinated society — raising thorny questions about rights, obligations and the greater good.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet voted this week to open shopping malls and museums to the public, subject to social distancing rules and mandatory masking. For the first time in many months, gyms, cultural and sports events, hotels and swimming pools will also reopen, but only for some. Under a new ‘Green Badge’ system that functions as both a carrot and a stick, the government is making leisure activities accessible only to people who are fully vaccinated or recovered starting Sunday. Two weeks later, restaurants, event halls and conferences will be allowed to operate under those rules. Customers and attendees will have to carry a certificate of vaccination with a QR code.
Israel is one of the first countries grappling in real time with a host of legal, moral and ethical questions as it tries to balance the steps toward resuming public life with sensitive issues such as public safety, discrimination, free choice and privacy. ‘Getting vaccinated is a moral duty. It is part of our mutual responsibility,’ said the health minister, Yuli Edelstein. He also has a new mantra: ‘Whoever does not get vaccinated will be left behind.’ The debate swirling within Israel is percolating across other parts of the world as well, with plans to reserve international travel for vaccinated ‘green passport’ holders.”
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Israel Forgot The Vow of “Never Again”
The article pointed out:
“Yet getting vaccinated remains voluntary and not everybody is rushing to it. Ofek Hacohen, 34, a manager of vacation rentals in Jerusalem, said he believed in a natural approach to a healthy body and insisted that the risk posed by the virus — which he called ‘a flu’ — had been exaggerated. He added that he did not trust the vaccine’s safety. He said he did not know what he would do if legislation was introduced limiting his options. ‘But I won’t get vaccinated. I’ll surely participate in demonstrations. I believe I won’t be alone,’ he said, adding, ‘I can survive without going to the theater, to soccer matches or to a restaurant. It’s annoying but what can I do?’”
The article added:
“Concerts and restaurants are luxuries that people can more easily forgo. But the questions become more pressing and contentious when it comes to the rights of employers and workers. The rights of teaching staffs have come under particular scrutiny as some in-person classes reopen. A quarter or more of Israel’s teachers have not sought a first dose, a situation that critics say poses a potential danger to pupils under 16, who are too young to be vaccinated. Some health workers have also refrained from being vaccinated. After a number of city mayors threatened to bar unvaccinated teachers from their classrooms, the deputy attorney general clarified that they did not have the authority to do so without new legislation.”
Barak Cohen, a lawyer and social activist, raised more questions in a recent Facebook post. ‘To what degree is it appropriate to pressure and coerce when the decision-making process surrounding the vaccine is kept hidden, in the dark and confidential?’ he wrote, noting that he does not deny the seriousness of the coronavirus or the effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine. He also pointed to the low public trust in the government and what he called drug companies’ ‘huge financial interest.’
In Karmiel, City Hall gave at least 20 businesses a local version of a Green Badge to put in their windows, according to Eli Sade, the director of the mayor’s office. All who entered were required to show that they had been vaccinated or had recovered from the virus. But police officers told store owners to close because they were breaking the law. The shopping mall in Bat Yam, which wanted customers to prove they had been vaccinated, soon dropped the requirement for showing a green passport at the entrance and went back to equipping the guards with temperature guns.
Inside, the few stores that opened had created their own entry policies. One chain followed basic social distancing regulations while another required a vaccination certificate. Sportswear and lingerie stores operated a ‘takeout’ service for customers who stood at the door.
Haifa Zeinab, 20, who was working in a Japanese-style home wear and gift store, said she did not plan to be vaccinated because an aunt had been overcome by dizziness after both of her doses. If she was told not to come without a green passport or a negative test every two days, she said with a shrug, ‘So I won’t come.’”
Much of the world looked on with puzzlement that Israel — of all countries — would try to force its citizens to get an experimental drug in violation of the Nuremberg Code which came out of the atrocities inflicted in Nazi Germany on Jews and others. Israel was established as a safe haven for Jews from those kinds of abuse. After World War II, many Jews vowed “Never Again!”. However, Israel seems to have forgotten the rights of its people in just a few decades.
Israel Backtracks on COVID Passport
However, the May 31st article Vaccine passports backfire – the case of Israel shows that reports: “As professors in Israel’s medical sphere, we’ve found passes to be irreconcilable with the basic principles of the medical profession.” It points out that Israel was the first nation to introduce a “vaccine passport” and says, “a digital vaccination ID called the ‘Green Pass’ was introduced as a prerequisite for returning to normal life. The Israeli Ministry of Health used two reasons to justify the need for this Green Pass: first, to enable and expedite the reopening of businesses by creating safe “green spaces” only for vaccinated individuals and, second, to pressure those hesitating to get the jab.”
The article adds:
“Theatres, pools, sports events, bars and restaurants were instructed to deny entrance to those not carrying a Green Pass. In some places, there are designated areas for the unvaccinated, and “vaccinated only” signs have appeared even on public seats at the Tel-Aviv beach. Israel now has two classes of citizens, the upper vaccinated and the lower unvaccinated.
The Green Pass was promoted with a clear message: getting the shot is the right choice. Those who refuse it are immoral, therefore, and excluding them is legitimate. The campaign to promote vaccination was often scientifically inaccurate and ethically questionable, exaggerating the danger posed by the virus to the lowest risk groups such as young, healthy students.
An atmosphere of intolerance took over. Companies announced that unvaccinated staff would be fired. Some universities banned unvaccinated students from in-person lectures. An esteemed researcher could not attend a conference that he had helped organise because he was not vaccinated. School teachers are being publicly condemned and forced to cease teaching until vaccinated. Those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons are unable to return to the new ‘normal’ life.”
UK: There Is No Rational Public Health Case For A Vaccine Passport
The article explains why this policy backfired. It says:
“The coercive measures had a paradoxical effect. Traditionally, the Israeli public has a remarkably high adherence to routine vaccinations. However, the heated debate related to the Green Pass, along with public shaming, has led to resentment and anger. Thus, a substantially greater number of young Israeli citizens, who would have never considered refusing a vaccine recommended by their GP, have refused the Covid-19 shots, and are more attentive to anti-vaccination ideology, which may impede future vaccination adherence.
It also seems as if some of the conspiracy theorists weren’t entirely wrong – with the Green Pass you do get a sort of a chip, but in the form of a QR code that is scanned each time you enter a designated area and is designed to link to a national database. A proof of ID is required to verify the passholder’s identity, violating both location-privacy and medical confidentiality. There is no rational public health case for the Green Pass. The risk of being infected with SARS-Cov-2 from an infected to a vaccinated individual is minimal, and even if infected, the most probable clinical outcome for the vaccinated is a very mild self-limiting disease or even an asymptomatic state.”
UK Drops Vaccine Passport Plans
The article concludes:
“If there is anything the UK should learn from the Israeli experiment, it is that vaccination passes are irreconcilable with the basic principles of the medical profession. Coercion has replaced autonomy, punishment has replaced compassion, checkpoints have replaced confidentiality, segregation has replaced inclusion. Liberal forces from Right to Left are trying to reverse this course of events. Several appeals have been submitted to the Israeli supreme court, all asking to declare the Green Pass disproportionate. The arrival of vaccines had the potential to end controversial measures jeopardising individual rights, but with Covid passes, we now have yet another fight on our hands – for medical ethics, human rights and common sense.”
The May 31st article Vaccine passports likely to be dropped as aid to lifting restrictions in England reported:
“Plans to make Covid documents a requirement of entry to mass events are likely to be dropped as the government grapples with how it can safely lift the final set of restrictions in England within weeks. Ministers have been investigating making coronavirus status certificates compulsory in some settings for months, following the lead of Israel, which introduced a ‘green pass’ for people to demonstrate their low-risk of having or transmitting the disease.”
The article adds:
“In February, the prime minister announced a review into Covid status certificates – suggesting they could be used in places such as pubs. But the investigation team, led by Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove, later dropped the idea of the documents being required in hospitality settings or any ‘essential’ shop. Government sources with knowledge of the review have suggested that plans to make the documents a legal requirement are likely to be axed. One said the certificates are ‘not happening on current thinking’ – pointing to Israel preparing to ditch its ‘green pass’ for domestic settings from 1 June – while another said it was an ‘open secret’.”
10 States Oppose Vaccine Passports Now
The New York Times June 15 article: What Are the Roadblocks to a ‘Vaccine Passport’?
Vaccine Passports: Where Your State Stands says,
“In Florida and Montana, executive orders prevent businesses, in addition to state institutions, from requiring patrons to provide proof of vaccination to gain entry or service from the business. In Idaho, Arizona, South Dakota, Utah, South Carolina, Arkansas, Indiana, and Texas, the ban on vaccine passports is generally limited to entities of the state government or (in the case of Texas) any business that receives state funds. Legislation is pending in the following states to prevent discrimination based on vaccination status and/or to prevent the use of vaccine passports: FL, NC, OK, HI, OR, RI, TX, WI, PA, and VT. Some governors have made positive statements, though have not yet taken action to prevent vaccine passports.”
Texas Banned Vaccine Passport In April
On April 6, Forbes reported Texas Gov. Abbott Bans Vaccine Passports:
“Gov. Greg Abbott banned government-mandated vaccine passports through executive order Tuesday, making Texas the latest state to reject proposals for a system that would require individuals to prove they have been vaccinated against the coronavirus….Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a vaccine passport ban last week, which also blocked private businesses from requiring customers to display documentation.”
Florida Banned Vaccine Passport / Canceled All COVID Rules
CNN said on April 3 Florida governor bans Covid-19 ‘vaccine passports’:
“Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed an executive order Friday banning the use of Covid-19 passports in the state. The order prohibits any government entity from issuing vaccine passports and blocks businesses from requiring any such documentation. DeSantis cited freedom and privacy concerns as the primary basis for the action, arguing that the implementation and enforcement of vaccine passports would ‘create two classes of citizens based on vaccinations.’ The order notes many Floridians have not yet had the opportunity to obtain a vaccine, while some may have infection-acquired immunity, and other people may be unable to get a Covid-19 vaccine because of health, religious or other reasons.”
The May 4th article DeSantis declares COVID ‘state of emergency’ over, overrides local restrictions said:
“Declaring Florida’s COVID-19 emergency over, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed an executive order invalidating all remaining local emergency COVID orders and signed a bill into law that bars businesses, schools and government entities across Florida from asking anyone to provide proof of a COVID-19 vaccination.
‘I think it’s the evidence-based thing to do,’ DeSantis said at a St. Petersburg restaurant where he signed the bill with House Speaker Chris Sprowls and Senate President Wilton Simpson at his side. ‘I think folks that are saying that they need to be policing people at this point, if you’re saying that, you really are saying you don’t believe in the vaccines, you don’t believe in the data, you don’t believe in the science. … We are no longer in the state of emergency.’
The provision regulating so-called ‘vaccine passports’ is tucked into SB 2006, a bill intended to update the state’s emergency powers in the face of a future public health emergency. The new law is effective July 1, but DeSantis also on Monday said he would sign an executive order invalidating all remaining local emergency COVID orders that are still in place after July 1 and suspend immediately any orders related to COVID-19 now.”
Vaccine Passport: End of Freedom In the West
Senator Rand Paul’s (R-KY) op-ed in The Hill: We must resist the latest COVID-era power grab: the ‘vaccine passport’
In Ted Cruz: Ban vaccine passports, Senator Cruz (R-TX) says no one should be forced to get the COVID “vaccine”, people should be free to decide based on their health. So, he introduced legislation this week to prohibit any federal vaccine passport and to prohibit employers from requiring the COVID “vaccine”.
The Becker’s site shows: “Vaccine passports: 23 states with bans, limitations & green lights”.
Are We Being Set Up for Mass Depopulation?, an article by Dr. Joseph Mercola links to the interview with Michael Yeadon, PhD., former Vice President and Chief Science Officer of Pfizer for 16 years and founder of successful pharma start-up. The article points out:
“Yeadon has a degree in biochemistry and toxicology and a research-based Ph.D. in respiratory pharmacology. He’s spent 32 years of his career working for large pharmaceutical companies, and 10 years in the biotechnology sector.”
Neenah Payne writes for Activist Post and Natural Blaze
Top image credit: Bloomberg
