The city of New York is now “testing” coronavirus passports now that sporting events have returned to the city. The Madison Square Garden and the Barclays Center are going to be the testing ground for a digital pass that could contain the owner’s COVID status. The digital pass would confirm the person’s vaccination or recent coronavirus test results.
The first test occurred at the Brooklyn Nets game at the Barclays Center on February 27, the IBM created Excelsior Pass was also used at the New York Rangers game at Madison Square Garden.
The pass can be printed or stored on a smartphone device. Similar to the system in China a QR code is scanned at the venue to confirm a person’s COVID status and only informs the event staff is the pass is valid or invalid.
The Excelsior Pass is expected to be an approved on Apple and Google’s app stores soon.
“We’re doing everything we can to vaccinate as many New Yorkers as possible, as quickly as possible, while keeping the infection rate down and reenergizing our economy in a safe, smart way,” said Gov. Cuomo. “As we begin reopening the valves on different sectors of our economy, we are putting guidelines in place to ensure individuals attending events involving larger gatherings have tested negative for COVID or have been vaccinated to avoid an outbreak of the virus. “
“The Excelsior Pass will play a critical role in getting information to venues and sites in a secure and streamlined way, allowing us to fast-track the reopening of these businesses and getting us one step closer to reaching a new normal,” added Cuomo.
This is all about control, if we are following “science” if everyone in attendance tested negative or was vaccinated then why was the event only allowed to be at 10% capacity?
Venues in NYC have been allowed to open at 10% capacity and all staff and guest cannot attend unless they test negative for the coronavirus 72 hours before the event.
