- With the pandemic easing

and the CDC no longer recommending masks

indoors or outdoors,businesses are grappling

with whether to requireproof of the vaccine

from employees and customers alike.

For the first time in a year,

COVID cases are down in all 50 states

and more than 60% of adults

have gotten at leastone dose of a vaccine.

New York, ground zero duringthe height of the pandemic,

recently announced those vaccinated

no longer have to wearmasks or social distance.

- The bottom line is if you're vaccinated,

you have more freedom.

- [Charlene] But somesay it's still too soon.

- I'm gonna keep the mask on.

I'm not taking any chances.

- [Charlene] Some companiesalso not taking chances,

implementing what iscalled vaccine passports.

They would require people to show evidence

they're vaccinated beforetaking part in events

or entering certain buildings.

The Malt House restaurant inNew York's Greenwich Village

is a prime example.

- So when the guestscome through the doors,

it's gonna be the firstquestion that we ask,

"Are you guys vaccinated?

Can you just show us proof of it first?"

And then essentially, "Ifyou guys are happy enough

to take your mask off, you'remore than welcome to do so."

I'm gonna have all of mystaff who have been vaccinated

make sure that they show upwith the passport on hands.

- [Charlene] A number of red states

are moving to prevent businessesfrom making this move.

Florida, Texas, Georgia, Iowa, and others

banning vaccine passports,citing privacy concerns

and freedom as the mainreasons for the ban.

- Government should not require any Texan

to show proof of vaccination

and reveal private health information

just to go about their daily lives.

That is why I issued an executive order

that prohibits government-mandated

vaccine passports in Texas.

We will continue to vaccinate more Texans

and protect publichealth, and we will do so

without treading onTexans' personal freedoms.

- [Charlene] Further south,in Smithfield, Virginia,

response to vaccine passports is mixed.

- It's good for the society to get better.

They should.

And we can open up again this economy

that is really in need.

- I think, in a way, it's agood idea and it's a bad idea.

I mean, if you can prove it, then yeah,

but it's kinda like aninvasion of privacy.

- [Charlene] Delta Airlinesrecently mandated vaccinations

for all new employees in the US.

As for passengers, airlinesdon't require vaccines

or passports, although many areconsidering digital versions

for scanning that would carryspecific health information.

- I think it would be we should have

some kind of a vaccine passport.

I like to travel internationally

and it would be nice tobe able to demonstrate

that I am, in fact, vaccinated.

- [Charlene] Otherbusinesses could follow suit

according to a survey bythe Rockefeller Foundation

and Arizona State University.

Overall, 88% of the employers surveyed

plan to require or encourageemployee vaccinations.

Of that number, 60% willrequire proof of vaccination.

According to the EEOC,

employers can legallymake this requirement

while providing exceptionsfor those with a medical

or religious accommodation.

This fall, a number of campuses,

including Yale, Georgetown,and University of California,

will make vaccinations mandatory.

- God wants me to be healthy

and I don't want to putthose kind of chemicals

and toxins inside my body.

- [Charlene] Jackie Gale, a sophomore

at the University of Alabama, Birmingham,

has never received anyvaccines for religious reasons.

For some reason, she wasblocked from registering

for classes this semester.

- But recently, I finished my first year.

I was allowed to live oncampus, attend classes.

- [Charlene] While Gale's attorney says

the school has since lifted the hold

and is working to allowher to take classes again,

she points out that herclient's religious exemption

should be respected and protected.

- So the university has lifted the hold.

We're still in ongoingconversation with them

at First Liberty and waitingfor them to really confirm

that she's not gonnahave this issue again.

They did allow her to register

all last year during her freshman year.

We're trying to get them to confirm

that they do honor religious exemptions,

put that in theirpolicy, a written policy.

Just like they acknowledgemedical exemptions,

they need to acknowledge

the religious liberty exemptions too.

And we want to make sure she'snot gonna have this problem

throughout her experience at UAB.

- Meanwhile, some evangelical colleges

are also encouragingstudents get the vaccine,

with Seattle Pacific Universityactually adopting a mandate

that students be vaccinatedbefore starting school

in the fall.

Charlene Aaron, CBN News.