Chicago mayor mulls ‘vaccination passes’ for events

“When you get vaccinated, it’s going to be an easier to return to a different life,” Lightfoot said, according to the outlet. “I won’t say our normal old life, because I don’t think that’s ever coming back.”

She also encouraged people between the ages of 18 and 44 to get vaccinated, while noting that the Black community has been lagging behind other communities in vaccination rates.

Chicago Public Health Commissioner Allison Arwady on Tuesday said she expected the city to debut vaccination passports as early as next month. She said it would be a requirement for events, especially those geared towards young people.

“You get a vaccine, you’ll be able to get into a concert or get into an event,” Arwady told the Tribune at the time. “(We’re) really thinking, particularly for younger people, how can we make vaccine something that people are excited about getting?”

Earlier this month, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that it did not support the use of “vaccine passports” when it comes to travel, citing concerns of equity.

“We already have a huge issue of vaccine equity in the world. The imposition of requirements for certification of vaccination before travel could introduce another layer of such inequity,” Mike Ryan, the executive director of the WHO’s emergencies program said.