New York officially introduces COVID passports

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Tuesday, March 2, that a new pilot program is underway that will require New Yorkers to show some sort of COVID passport to enter sports arenas, theaters and other events. The details were told by the publication New York Post.

This is the Excelsior Pass that will be used to confirm whether a person has been vaccinated against COVID-19 or recently tested negative for coronavirus.

The Excelsior Pass was recently tested during the New York Rangers game at Madison Square Garden (MSG).

People will be able to print a document confirming their vaccination or test negative, or save it to their phone using the Excelsior Pass app. Each document will have a secure QR code that establishments will scan with a companion app to confirm a person's health status.

The governor's office stressed that the use of the application will depend on the wishes of the person, it will not be mandatory. In addition, the data entered into it will be strictly confidential. The QR code will give the arena or other institution information only about whether a person has the right to attend public events or not, the application will not show any data about his health and other personal information.

You can see how the application and the printed pass look like in Cuomo's office presentations.

“We are doing everything in our power to vaccinate as many New Yorkers as possible and as quickly as possible, while reducing infection rates and restoring the energy of our economy in a safe and smart way,” Cuomo said.

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“The Excelsior Pass will play a critical role in providing secure and optimized access to facilities, enabling us to accelerate the reopening of the city,” he added.

MSG Entertainment praised the pilot, stating, "The Excelsior Pass program, as well as Cuomo's decision to allow establishments to welcome visitors, will play an important role in helping our city get back on its feet."

Last Tuesday, February 23rd, Nets and Knicks fans were able to see their favorite teams play live for the first time in almost a year. Guests tested the Excelsior Pass during this game.

This became possible after Cuomo announced in early February that large sports and entertainment facilities with a capacity of 10 people or more could resume operations with a load of up to 000% of the capacity.