Florida to start requiring proof of residency for COVID-19 vaccinations

January 21, 2021January 21, 2021 WKXA

simon2579/iStockBy ERIN SCHUMAKER, ABC News

(NEW YORK) — Florida will soon require proof of residency for people getting COVID-19 vaccines, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced this week.

Starting Wednesday, people who show up for vaccines in Seminole County, Florida, will be asked to show their Florida ID or a utility bill in order to get the shot, according to ABC News Orlando affiliate WFTV-TV. The new policy, which applies to state-run vaccination sites, will later be extended to other counties in the state.

“We’re only doing [vaccines] for Florida, Florida residents,” DeSantis said during a Tuesday news conference. “You got to live here either full-time or at least part-time.”

The changes comes in the wake of concerns about “vaccine tourism,” following an executive order DeSantis issued that opened up vaccinations to anyone age 65 and older but didn’t require proof of residency.

Opening up vaccinations resulted in long lines, with some older people even camping overnight in lawn chairs in the hopes of getting vaccinated.

Florida has reported 1.6 million COVID-19 cases and 24,578 deaths from the virus, according to the state health department.

As of Wednesday, Florida had distributed 2.5 million vaccines and administered approximately 1.2 million of them, which translates to 5,773 vaccines administered for every 100,000 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.