The app has been updated and businesses using the Excelsior Pass scanner app will now be able to accept proof of vaccination issued by California, Hawaii, Louisiana and Virginia. The pass will soon accept proof from Washington state too.
The updates will help New York businesses as its tourism industry recovers and more people travel to the state, Gov. Kathy Hochul said. Restaurants, event venues and more will be able to verify the vaccination status of visitors more easily.
In addition, the updates allow New York residents who were vaccinated in New Jersey or Vermont to obtain proof of vaccination or their digital vaccine record through the Excelsior Pass. Previously, the system only worked with vaccinations that took place in New York.
The Excelsior Pass launched earlier this year. It was one of the first vaccine passports in the nation.
The system allows users to get proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test result through an app on mobile devices or desktop computers. The system provides a digital or paper pass with a bar code.
Businesses read the bar code using the scanner app.
Millions of passes have been downloaded so far.
Venues such as New York Fashion Week, the Buffalo Bills’ Highmark Stadium and the Tilles Center at Long Island University have all used the passes for recent or upcoming events, according to Hochul’s office.
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