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Passport required? As more people are vaccinated, the thorny issue of requiring and proving vaccination grows
by Kay Lazar
The Boston Globe / 2021-04-17 14:41
Countries such as Israel already offer a “vaccine passport” for residents � a smartpphone app or piece of paper � to prove they’re vaccinaated when they access gyms, restaurants, and other public accommodations. But the federal and Massachusetts governments have shown little appetite for tackling the passport issue, leaving it to private businesses to figure out how to create safe spaces without unfairly excluding anyone from post-pandemic life.
“Our members are very much in the camp of trying to encourage vaccination rather than hang the sword of Damocles over folks.” said Christopher Geehern, executive vice president of the Associated Industries of Massachusetts, the state’s largest business group.
Geehern said many companies are offering employees information and incentives, such as gift certificates or paid time off to get vaccinated. But many have yet to sort out the difficult balance between mandating and persuading.
“Some of our members . . . have heard from employees who say, ‘I am not going to go back to work if I will be sitting next to someone who is not going to be vaccinated,’ ” Geehern said.
Many retailers struggled financially the past year and are unlikely to mandate vaccinations for customers or employees, much less require proof of inoculation, out of fear of losing business, said Jon Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts.
“You don’t want to alienate the consumer,” he said