New York launches Excelsior Pass; app aimed at speeding up business reopenings

A new effort to fast-track the reopening of businesses and entertainment venues in New York has officially launched.
Getting into sporting events, concerts and other large gatherings is now just an app away, thanks to the Excelsior Pass. It's a digital way of proving you either have the COVID-19 vaccine or have tested negative for the virus.
The app functions just like a mobile airline boarding pass. It can be printed out or stored on your smartphone using the encrypted Wallet app.
Each pass will have a secure QR code, which venues will scan using a companion app to confirm someone's health status. Users' personal data is kept confidential.
"New York state explicitly says they will not use the information for anything else, not sharing it with anybody," says social media expert Lance Ulanoff. "It's really kind of a closed system. You basically put in to get the pass to verify that you have been vaccinated or that you do have a negative test."
State officials say test runs of the pass at Nets games in Brooklyn and Rangers games in Manhattan have proven the pass works.
The pass is free, voluntary and available in multiple languages.