Over a year after the onset of the pandemic, "passports" reflecting an individual's COVID-related data such as vaccination and perhaps test status have entered the spotlight as a potentially effective, but divisive, tool for hastening the return of "normal" in-person activities. Government actors and agencies, private businesses, tech companies, and the media have all entered the very public debate about the pros and cons of COVID passports, including what form(s) they may take and whether, and if so how, they can be used.
On May 5, 2021 Seyfarth attorneys and special guests from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the World Economic Forum presented an interactive exploration of how businesses might implement COVID passports within their workforces and discussed broader business operations in light of rapidly evolving developments around the world.
Issues that were discussed include:
- The balance of public health and safety versus individual autonomy and data privacy.
- The rapidly evolving political, cultural, and technological landscape for businesses regarding whether they can/must/or cannot limit certain in-person activities to those with COVID passports
- International and regional variations and the push for standardization.
- Concerns regarding accessibility, accommodations, discrimination, and inequality.
Watch the recording:
Moderator
Anne Dana, Partner, Seyfarth Shaw LLP
Speakers
Marc Freedman, US Chamber of Commerce
Loren Gesinsky, Partner, Seyfarth Shaw
LLP
Julia Gorham, Partner, Seyfarth Shaw LLP
Andrea Serra, World Economic Forum
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