With the COVID-19 vaccine moving steadily, businesses, universities and airlines are looking for a quick and easy way to verify that customers, students and passengers have all been vaccinated.

After the approval and administration of covid vaccines, many different countries are entertaining the idea of vaccine passports that would dictate consumer access to air travel and other public areas.A vaccine passport is an app that contains a user’s verifiable vaccination credentials in order to officially prove that they’ve received the COVID vaccine. They owners can then use it to gain access to things like the cinema, restaurants, public transport, and as a pass to travel to other countries.

The app contains a scannable QR code that provides access to your vaccination status, test results, and the recovery status of those previously or still diagnosed with COVID-19. After the code is scanned, users will either be granted or denied access to venues that had previously been closed off due to the virus.

It’ll also allow for the ease of air travel, as airlines and those with authority over the borders could easily verify any traveler’s COVID status without having to refer to the traveler’s specific health facility by email in order to obtain the necessary information. A vaccine passport would allow anyone to immediately gain access to a country’s vaccination requirements and any other information.

New York has already released what they call an Excelsior Pass, “a free, fast and secure way to present digital proof of COVID-19 vaccination or negative test results” that has been billed by the states. Now, in order to attend things like sports events, airlines and other business, people must have this pass so they can ensure they meet any COVID -19 vaccination or testing requirements.

Gradually, universities like Brown, Duke, Rutgers, Cleveland State and Cornell are all requiring vaccine passports for students who plan to attend in the fall, and private companies are free to refuse business with those who do not include a vaccination status (unless a policy against discirmnation based on vaccination status is passed).

This is a free society, so those who do not want a vaccine passport don’t have to have one, but there will be undeniable consequences. They can fight the limits that’ll be placed upon them if they wish, but when it comes to a world-spread disease that’s highly infectious, it’s not too much to ask for proof of vaccination. Business, airlines, and other public companies all have the same freedom to protect their employees and vaccinated customers by requiring a vaccine passport, and not much can be said against that.