The governors of Texas, Florida and Arizona have announced executive orders aiming to prevent documentation of COVID-19 vaccinations, popularly referred to as "vaccine passports," from being mandatory.

The three states join Montana and Idaho in pushing back against vaccination certification, which they argue violates privacy and civil rights, NBC News reports.

President Joe Biden's administration said it doesn't plan on building a national vaccination app, but several private companies are working diligently to be the first to create digital "passports" showing proof of immunization.

However, Lawrence Gostin, director of the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University, had previously told NBC News that states' executive orders are unlikely to impact in prohibiting cities or counties from issuing passports.

"Governors have no power to prohibit cities or counties from issuing passports or banning the private sector," Gostin said. "But if the Florida or other state legislature passed a law, it could preempt local governments from issuing passports."

As of Sunday, half of all adults in the United States have received at least one COVID-19 vaccination shot, while about 32.5% have been fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In February, President Biden predicted life in the U.S. could be back to normal by Christmas as a growing number of individuals have received vaccinations each day and the "vaccine passports" proving such could be a key factor in returning to normalcy by the end of 2021.

Photo: Getty Images

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