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California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks at a press conference to discuss the state reopening at Universal Studios in Hollywood, California on June 15, 2021. – California will let fully vaccinated workers go maskless after June 17, Governor Gavin Newsom said Monday. (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON \/ AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n
By Zachary Stieber
\nThe Epoch Times<\/p>\n
California<\/a> on Friday rolled out a new system that enables people to obtain proof of COVID-19 vaccination from the state\u2019s health system and present it as proof of having gotten a jab.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re better enabling California to verify their vaccination status to ensure our state is in a better position to encourage the best practices for reducing the spread of COVID-19,\u201d\u00a0California State Epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan told reporters on a call.<\/p>\n The vaccine verification system<\/a>, dubbed a \u201cdigital vaccine record,\u201d will require people to enter several details like their name and date of birth to get a digital copy of their vaccination record. If their record is found, they will get a link that they can use to access their vaccination information, including the date or dates they received doses and a QR code confirming their record is authentic.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the same information that people see on the paper card that many receive when they get a vaccine, but authorities are recommending the vaccinated keep their paper cards in a safe and secure location and use the digital pass instead.<\/p>\n Over 23.5 million people in California have received a COVID-19 vaccine, according to state data. Whoever administers a vaccine in the state reports details of the recipient to state authorities. Over 90 percent of the people who have been vaccinated chose to give state authorities their contact information.<\/p>\n For the rest of those who got a shot, they can contact a hotline at\u00a0833-422-4255 to try to get access to the digital pass.<\/p>\n The\u00a0California Department of Technology developed the free pass, which authorities say is not a \u201cvaccine passport<\/a>.\u201d Over half of U.S. states have banned such passports, alleging they present serious privacy concerns and disparate treatment of the unvaccinated.<\/p>\n The new system is \u201csimilar in concept\u201d to the Excelsior Pass, New York\u2019s vaccine passport, according to Rick Klau, California\u2019s chief technology innovation officer and a former Google developer.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is an opportunity for a resident in our case in the state of California to simply have a digital copy of their vaccination record,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The records are being safely stored, he added.<\/p>\n Authorities indicated on the call that a business or other establishment can require everyone who enters to show digital proof of vaccination. A health department spokesperson did not immediately respond when asked if a business can bar people who aren\u2019t vaccinated from entering.<\/p>\n The system was rolled out several days after updated guidance<\/a> was put into place, giving businesses three options for when to require masks.<\/p>\n They can either let those who are vaccinated self-attest, while letting everybody know that those who have not gotten a shot must wear a mask; they can use a vaccine verification system to see who must wear a mask; or they can simply require all customers don a face covering.<\/p>\n![\"virus\"](\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2021\/06\/16\/johnson-johnson-vaccine-2-1200x681.jpg\")
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