MINNEAPOLIS — By now you've heard, First Ave would like to see that you've got your shot, or that you've tested negative for COVID before they let you into their venues.
"They'll just check your card, or a photo of your card -- or, if you have a negative result, they'll look at the result either on your phone or a printout is fine," Ashley Ryan said on Monday. Ryan is the Vice President of marketing at First Avenue.
You may be wondering-- wait, didn't Governor Walz say in April that there will not be any vaccine passports?
Yes that's true. The Minnesota State Senate also passed Senate File 1589 stating that "no person must be required to possess, wear or display a symbol, card or any other indicator that the person received a positive or negative test result for a communicable disease."
So how is First Ave able to ask for vaccine cards?
Well, the SF 1589 only bans "mandatory immunization, submission of immunization statement or test results by state agencies or a local unit of government."
You may also be wondering about HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act.
No, it doesn't protect you from being asked your vaccination status. HIPAA only protects a person's identifying health information from being shared or spread without their consent or knowledge, but only applies to the medical health records field. This includes health insurance and healthcare providers, meaning that if a neighbor asks if you had been vaccinated, it is not a violation of the act.
Several Minnesota gyms said they are currently in a wait-and-see mode when it comes to vaccination requirements and/or proof of vaccination requirements.
Hospitality Minnesota also said they too are in a similar situation, monitoring the situation closely.