New York is leading the way.

On Tuesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the city will require proof of vaccination for indoor dining gyms, broadway plays and anywhere else crowds congregate inside. The idea is to pressure people to get the shot(s).

New Yorkers will be required to show either the state’s “Excelsior Pass,” the city’s new vaccine pass, or the Center for Disease Control’s paper vaccine card.

 

 

Europe is already doing this. An EU vaccine “passport” is being introduced across all 27 member nations – plus Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein.

Starting in September in England, you’ll need to prove proof of vaccination by using the ‘NHS Covid Pass app;’ Israel has something called a ‘Green Pass’ and France (‘Health Pass’) and Italy have instituted something similar.

“It’s time for people to see vaccination as literally necessary to living a good and full and healthy life,” Mr. de Blasio said at a news conference.

“Not everyone is going to agree with this, I understand that,” he said. “But for so many people, this is going to be a lifesaving act, that we are putting a mandate in place that is going to guarantee a much higher level of vaccination in this city. And that is the key to protecting people, and the key to our recovery.”

 

It’s time for the U.S. to play catch-up and mandate vaccinations or create a digital app for the vaccinated.