Idaho Gov. Brad Little issued an executive order Wednesday banning state government from requiring or issuing COVID-19 “vaccine passports.”
The Republican governor is also preventing state agencies from providing information on an individual’s vaccine status to individuals, companies or government entities.
Little, who has gotten the vaccine, said he strongly encourages others to get vaccinated as well. But he said he has serious concerns that a vaccine passport requirement will violate medical privacy rights.
Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott issued a similar order on Wednesday, and Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis did so on Friday.
The White House has ruled out a national “vaccine passport,” saying it is leaving it to up the private sector if companies want to develop a system for people to show they’ve been vaccinated.
All Idaho residents age 16 and older are now eligible to get the vaccine. About 70% of Idaho residents age 65 and over opted to get the vaccine.
State officials say more than 325,000 Idaho residents are fully vaccinated, and an additional 170,000 have received one dose of vaccines requiring two doses.
More than 180,000 people in Idaho have been infected with COVID-19, and nearly 2,000 have died. About 1.8 million people live in the state.
