Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on May 23 that more than one million Excelsior Passes have been issued since New York State launched the first-in-the-nation voluntary platform in March. Excelsior Pass, which is now being utilized by venues, universities, stadiums and businesses statewide, is a free, fast and secure way to present digital proof of COVID-19 vaccination or negative test results that’s helping
to get New Yorkers back to the things they love and miss—safely.
“After a long and incredibly difficult year, New Yorkers are finally returning to normal life and getting back to work amid rising vaccination
rates, and the first-in-the-nation Excelsior Pass is a key part of that restoration of normalcy,” Cuomo said. “The fact that we’ve so quickly
achieved a milestone—more than 1 million passes issued—speaks to New Yorkers’ desire to resume many of the activities they’ve given up over the past year and is good news for bringing our economy back and building a stronger state for the future. New Yorkers are ready for the new normal, and the Excelsior Pass will help them get there until we can defeat this terrible pandemic for good.”
Excelsior Pass is supporting New Yorkers building back better through NYS DOH guidance, with an over 80% increase in downloads this week alone. As of May 19, the State lifted capacity restrictions and adopted Centers for Disease Control guidance on masks and social
distancing for fully vaccinated individuals.
Under the new guidance, certain businesses may choose to require proof of COVID-19 vaccination status and Excelsior Pass is an easy-to-use, verifiable option. New Yorkers can always present alternate forms of COVID-19 vaccination and negative test results—such as paper forms—directly at businesses and venues.
Major sports venues across the State are already using Excelsior Pass to safely get even more fans back into stands, including Madison
Square Garden, Barclays Center, Yankee Stadium, CitiField, the Nassau Coliseum, Belmont Park, the Times Union Center, NBT Bank Stadium, the Carrier Dome, Sahlen Field—the temporary host of the Toronto Blue Jays—KeyBank Center and Frontier Field.
Universities and colleges across New York—including State University of New York campuses such as the University at Buffalo, Binghamton University and Stony Brook University, as well as Syracuse University, Pace University and Long Island University—have
already leveraged Excelsior Pass for in-person graduation ceremonies and large events, like sporting games, or plan to for the fall.
At this time, Passes may only be retrieved for COVID-19 vaccinations or negative test results received in the state of New York, though it does not require you to be a resident of New York. The state is actively working with regional and international partners to broaden its use, as well as major New York State employers to support office reopenings.
All Excelsior COVID-19 Vaccination Passes retrieved beginning on May 23 will be valid for 365 days, up from 180 days. Those who already have a Vaccination Pass may retrieve a new pass whenever they choose to in order to take advantage of this extension. At this time, New Yorkers should know that the 365 days relates only to the length of time the pass is valid. The duration of validity of Excelsior Vaccination
Passes may continue to be updated to reflect the latest understanding from federal and state health experts and as additional science
and trial data is released.
For those interested in Excelsior Pass who have received their COVID-19 Vaccinations or PCR and/or Antigen Tests in the state of New York, visit epass.ny.gov to get started.
(Submitted)
