Officials in Orange County, California, have backed off of plans to issue a Covid vaccine passport after significant public backlash.
About 200 individuals showed up to speak at an Orange County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday to voice their opposition to the proposal.
“You guys should be ashamed of yourselves for trying to do a passport, because not everyone has a great effect from [vaccines] and they know that, the vaccine manufacturers, that’s why they have liability protection for themselves…” OC resident, artist who goes by the name An0maly, said at the meeting.
I spoke today at the Orange County Board Of Supervisors today against their psychotic suggestion of a “vaccine passport” hidden under other names. pic.twitter.com/VFWFMX8gxp
— An0maly (@LegendaryEnergy) April 13, 2021
“These vaccine passports are a huge violation of privacy and are discriminatory on every level,” a 5th generation owner of a 100-year-old Orange County business told ITN. “The OC Health Department is relying on woke local businesses who are afraid of being sued to do their dirty work and virtue signaling for them. This is just one more way the government is taking away our freedoms and liberties while further sowing divisions between the populous one step at a time.”
The passport was billed as a way to allow residents to resume normal activities prohibited under the Covid19 lockdowns. “The Digital Passport enables individuals to participate safely and with peace of mind in activities that involve interactions with other people, including travel, attractions, conferences/meetings, concerts, sports, school and more,” officials said in a tweet announcing the program last week.
Good evening, #OC 🍊. Here are the top three #OCCOVID19 vaccination messages you need to know from @ochealth and @OCGovCA: pic.twitter.com/A8hh7ZnWoi
— OC Health Care Agency (@ochealth) April 9, 2021
Following the backlash however, officials were forced to reverse course.
Orange County Health Care Agency Director Clayton Chau said the county is no longer requiring a vaccine passport but is planning to offer a digital vaccination record for residents who request it.
California residents are still decrying the system as vast government overreach.
“Passports enable travel. This thing does the exact opposite,” said human rights attorney and California resident Leigh Dundas in a video message.
“I don’t care who you voted for in the last election. I don’t care if you like the vaccine or don’t like the vaccine. That’s your right. What is not right is to have the American government restricting travel based on participation in a group or lack thereof for a disease that is 99.9% survivable,” she added.