New York state residents and businesses can start signing up to use a COVID-19 “passport” for event entry, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday.
The state on Friday launched its “Excelsior Pass,” a digital pass that will allow New Yorkers to attend select events by showing that they have been vaccinated or recently tested negative for COVID-19, Cuomo said in a press release.
New York is the first state in the U.S. to formally launch the certification, the governor's office said.
The state started testing the pass at Madison Square Garden and Barclays Center events at the end of February. New Yorkers who opt into the program will be able to use it at “theaters, major stadiums and arenas, wedding receptions, catered events and other events,” the release said.
“Similar to a mobile airline boarding pass, individuals will be able to either print out their pass or store it on their smartphones using the Excelsior Pass Wallet app,” the release said. “Each Pass will have a secure QR code, which participating businesses and venues can scan using a companion app to verify proof of COVID-19 negative test results or proof of vaccination.”
The state has launched an online signup portal for residents, as well as a portal for businesses, the release noted. A number of smaller arts, entertainment and event venues will start using the pass on April 2, according to the release.
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“New Yorkers have proven they can follow public health guidance to beat back COVID, and the innovative Excelsior Pass is another tool in our new toolbox to fight the virus while allowing more sectors of the economy to reopen safely and keeping personal information secure,” Cuomo said in a statement.
“The question of ‘public health or the economy’ has always been a false choice — the answer must be both,” he added. “As more New Yorkers get vaccinated each day and as key public health metrics continue to regularly reach their lowest rates in months, the first-in-the-nation Excelsior Pass heralds the next step in our thoughtful, science-based reopening.”
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