On May 3, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed SB 2006 which included a provision supporting to a vaccine passport ban. However, the law provided an exception for health care providers and facilities within the healthcare industry.
DeSantis has been critical of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines (CDC) and vaccine passports being endorsed by states and governors across the country. He has said, long before he signed the legislation, vaccine passports being required for citizens to participate in society will not happen in Florida.
“The problem is the CDC. The problem is not Florida,” DeSantis said, describing @CDCgov’s requirements as illogical.@GovRonDeSantis said #Florida will not rescind a recent ban on #VaccinePassports despite pressure from cruise companies. https://t.co/xacWplvSlK
— The Epoch Times (@EpochTimes) May 14, 2021
The Florida legislature provided the carve out, which exempts hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, surgical centers, physicians’ offices among numerous other health care providers from the ban.
Mary Mayhew, CEO of the Florida Hospital Association, said the carve out for healthcare providers is “obvious” because hospitals need to know patients’ medical information. But she did not say anything regarding hospital or healthcare providers visitor and if they will be asked to provide vaccination history to enter.
“Of course hospitals, just as we ask for other health care information, would want to ask about a highly infectious virus in order to inform care,” said Mayhew.
When the bill was being debated on the floor of the Florida House, the measure was backed largely by Republicans, Rep. Tom Leek (R-25) encouraged those to get vaccinated but recognized the reasoning for a large portion of Floridians choosing not to get the vaccine:
“We have vaccines, through some miracle of science, that work. We also must recognize that COVID-19 vaccines don’t have the same proven history as the same vaccines we require our schoolchildren to get. We must recognize that vaccine hesitancy is real and understandable. Don’t get me wrong. For all of you in this room, for all of you who are listening out there, get vaccinated. Please get vaccinated. Let’s return to normal. But recognize that it is fair for a certain segment of our community to be hesitant about getting the vaccine.”
Since the outbreak of the pandemic in March 2020, the CDC has implemented a no-cruise order for cruise ships coming in and out of the United States. Sixty percent of all American cruise ships come in and out of Florida, and with the vaccine passport ban, some companies are threatening to pull out of Florida. In response, Florida has sued the federal government at the direction of the DeSantis administration.
Democrats have noted the cruise industry’s response as part of their opposition to the new law.
“I don’t know many people who are going to get on a cruise if they don’t have the security of knowing that the other people on that cruise with them, in that close environment with them, have also been vaccinated,” Rep. Omari Hardy, D-West Palm Beach, said.
There are over 48,000 healthcare facilities and over 95,000 health care practitioners in Florida who fall under the exemption, but it was not the healthcare industry lobbyists who requested the exemption, it was simply a measure taken by the legislature.
– – –
Grant Holcomb is a reporter at the Florida Capital Star and the Star News Network. Follow Grant on Twitter and direct message tips.
