Key TakeawaysYou can show your paper COVID-19 vaccination card or use the official apps to enter indoor venues like restaurants, bars, and movie theaters in New York City.The New York State Excelsior Pass only works for those who have been vaccinated in the state. Out-of-state visitors will have to opt for the city’s NYC COVID Safe app.For international visitors, all WHO-authorized vaccines are acceptable, according to the NYC mayor’s press office.
Key Takeaways
You can show your paper COVID-19 vaccination card or use the official apps to enter indoor venues like restaurants, bars, and movie theaters in New York City.The New York State Excelsior Pass only works for those who have been vaccinated in the state. Out-of-state visitors will have to opt for the city’s NYC COVID Safe app.For international visitors, all WHO-authorized vaccines are acceptable, according to the NYC mayor’s press office.
People in New York City will have toshow proof of vaccinationto enter indoor establishments like restaurants, gyms, movie theaters, and performance venues starting August 16. Enforcement will begin a month later on September 13.
New York City residents can carry theirpaper vaccination cardor use one of the two mobile apps: the state’sExcelsior Passor the city’sNYC COVID Safe. Visitors can also show a physical copy of their vaccination record or enter their information into the NYC COVID Safe app.
Here’s how you can use the apps and their potential drawbacks.
Should You Use Excelsior Pass or NYC COVID Safe?
To avoid losing your physical vaccination card, you can opt for either Excelsior Pass or NYC COVID Safe to prove your vaccination status digitally.
You’re not required to scan your card for the app to register your information so don’t worry if you left your vaccination card at home.
But Excelsiorcan be glitchyand may not recognize your vaccination record if there is a typo in the system. You may then use the NYC COVID Safe app, which simply stores a photo of your vaccination card without verification.
For out-of-state visitors, you will have to use NYC COVID Safe instead of Excelsior Pass.
How Secure Are These ‘Vaccine Passport’ Apps?
“The app holds the information and does not verify against a database, for both international or domestic visitors,” Feyer writes.
The COVID Safe app works like a convenient photo storage of your vaccination card rather than a verification system. However, it may be easy to fabricate records with a fake vaccination card. City officials are still figuring out how business venues can authenticate international vaccination cards.
Unlike NYC COVID Safe, Excelsior checks against the state database.
Excelsior’s developer IBM says it usesblockchain technologyto store and protect medical data without much further explanation. The officialprivacy policyfor the Excelsior program simply states that the app does not use location tracking and cannot “identify any specific user that has downloaded or deleted the app.”
If you’re worried about leaving digital traces of your personal information, you can always show your paper vaccination card as proof.
What to Do If You Lose Your COVID-19 Vaccine Card
Can You Use Other Apps?
If you’re an iOS user, you can scan your vaccination card with the built-in Note app. Find the app on your home screen, press down the app icon and hold for two seconds until a menu pops up. Choose “Scan Document” and it will turn your phone’s camera into a digital scanner. You can then save the image in your note as a PDF.
Keep in mind that your note might be synchronized to your other Apple devices and there is still a risk of your data being exposed or hacked. It may also be up to the individual establishment to decide whether a scanned copy is acceptable.
Scan your COVID-19 vaccination card with the Note app on iOS device.Daphne Lee / Verywell Health
Daphne Lee / Verywell Health
Apps likeClearhave gained traction among U.S. citizens and Canadian visitors who wish to go through airport security quickly. But New York City officials have yet to specify whether private apps are acceptable once the mandate takes effect.
Will You Have to Show Proof of Vaccination in Other Cities?
Equinox will adopt the vaccine mandate for its gyms and SoulCycle locations in New York, but the company plans to expand this policy to all of its other locations.
Some bars and restaurants in San FranciscoandLos Angeleshave started to require customers who want to dine or drink indoor to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within the last 72 hours.
Companies like The Washington Post,Disney, Walmart have also announced vaccine mandates for both new hires and employees returning to work.
More Hospitals Are Now Mandating COVID-19 Vaccines for Healthcare Workers
What This Means For YouYou will be required to show proof of vaccination to enter indoor venues and restaurants and movie theaters in New York City. You can either show your paper vaccination card, or use one of the two official apps: Excelsior and NYC COVID Safe.
What This Means For You
You will be required to show proof of vaccination to enter indoor venues and restaurants and movie theaters in New York City. You can either show your paper vaccination card, or use one of the two official apps: Excelsior and NYC COVID Safe.
The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit ourcoronavirus news page.
1 SourceVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.World Health Organization.Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Vaccines.
1 Source
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.World Health Organization.Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Vaccines.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
World Health Organization.Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Vaccines.
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