NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday announced the launch of Excelsior Pass Plus, an advanced pass option with the intention of making tourism and business travel much easier in and out of the state.
As the governor continues to face mounting pressure to resign over multiple allegations of sexual harassment, the announcement comes at a time where both concern about vaccination rates and cases of the delta variant continue to climb.
The newer pass includes a “first of its kind partnership” with VeriFLY, a service used by American Airlines. This will allow travelers who have been vaccinated to use the airline for trips exclusively to Greece, France, Spain, Italy, and the Bahamas, and on indirect flights to countries such as El Salvador and Germany. The list is expected to expand over time.
According to Cuomo’s office, the original pass has generated 3 million unique passes since it first launch.
Even though the security of the application has been questioned by some, with that many active users, it’s apparent that many New Yorkers favor it over the physical card - most likely because it can’t be misplaced as easily.
With the new pass, a new partnership has also been formed with VCI. While best-known for its ties to The Mayo Clinic, the tech company's most prominent contribution is its SMART Health Card Framework. Because of it, New Yorkers will be granted additional access to a digital copy of their COVID-19 vaccination via a SMART Health Card through Excelsior Pass Plus.
“[While] Excelsior Pass has enabled New Yorkers to get back to the people and things they love...Excelsior Pass Plus will advance this even further," Cuomo said in a statement.
“From Day 1, we have said that the question of ‘public health or the economy’ is a false choice,” he continued, “It is, and must always be both, and...we will continue to innovate our tools to ensure that New Yorkers and New York businesses thrive.”
New Yorkers should be able to secure the new pass via the digital Excelsior Wallet. Similar to the original pass, it's free, and can be retrieved so long as a resident has received their vaccination within the state and has provided that information with a verified healthcare provider.
For more information, you can visit epass.ny.gov.
The complete list of the Excelsior Pass Plus’ perks are available here.