[Open Forum] The Need for a Pragmatic Vaccine Pass

Since its implementation on December 13, 2021, the vaccine pass has remained controversial. This is because, in addition to the existing social distancing policy, it restricts individual freedom and increases the economic burden. The controversy intensified further after the Omicron variant became the dominant strain.

The vaccine pass, or the vaccination certificate/negative test requirement system, is a measure that restricts unvaccinated people from using multi-use facilities through the electronic entry log QR code system. The public health authorities introduced the vaccine pass to prevent infection and transmission from the unvaccinated.

After the implementation of the vaccine pass, as of February 15, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases rose from 5,817 to 57,177, while the number of critically ill patients declined from 906 to 314. The reason is that the Omicron variant, which is highly transmissible but less lethal, became the dominant COVID-19 strain. After that, throughout March and April, the number of confirmed cases increased sharply.

Among adults, the rate of second-dose vaccination is very high. The rate of third-dose vaccination also continued to rise. Given the nature of vaccines, which help suppress the fatality rate, rising vaccination rates lead to a lower fatality rate from COVID-19. For this reason, calls to manage COVID-19 like the flu have been voiced for quite some time. Nevertheless, the government has maintained its stance of keeping the vaccine pass in place.

It would be desirable for the public health authorities to give more serious consideration to the scientific approach of expert groups regarding the vaccine pass. Up to now, the authorities’ vaccine pass measures have maintained policies that significantly infringe on citizens’ basic right to move freely and enter the places they wish. It is difficult to view the authorities’ decision to maintain the vaccine pass as one based on the scientific interpretation of experts.

Forcing the vaccine pass across all sectors of society has caused many side effects. In particular, it has increased the economic burden on small business owners. Existing small business operators had managed customer entry through tools such as the Safe Call system and handwritten entry logs, both of which could be handled without additional staffing. However, the vaccine pass policy forcibly imposed an obligation to verify customers’ vaccination status. As a result, business owners had no choice but to bear the added labor burden against their will.

It is also difficult to find explicit criteria for which venues are subject to the vaccine pass. Restaurants and cafes are subject to it. Public transportation such as buses and subways is not. Both are multi-use facilities, yet the scope of application differed. A policy that applies in some places but not in others is contradictory and makes its effectiveness unclear. Ultimately, the vaccine pass has failed to reduce the burden on citizens struggling because of COVID-19 and has only added to confusion on the ground.

One of the main purposes of the vaccine pass is to encourage vaccination. It is problematic to force it through the arbitrary interpretation of the public health authorities rather than through encouragement. If the government designs and implements policies aimed at strictly controlling the entire population, and those policies instead produce adverse effects, the harm falls entirely on the people.

The British economist Karl Popper argued for an “open society,” one that respects individual freedom and rights and reflects people’s will, in contrast to a “closed society,” where rational criticism is not accepted and decision-makers do not bear responsibility for their decisions. We must move away from one-sided and closed quarantine measures and toward an open public health response that respects individual freedom.

Government policy on disease control should be implemented through a practical, fact-based scientific approach. The government should swiftly shift from arbitrary vaccine pass measures to effective alternatives.

Taehyun Kim

Intern Researcher, Center for Free Enterprise (CFE)

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Original title: [자유발언대] 실사구시적 방역패스의 필요성

Author: Tae-hyun Kim

Date: 2022-04-22

Source: https://www.cfe.org/bbs/bbsDetail.php?cid=free_opinion&pn=8&idx=24686