Hawaii Unveils COVID Passports For Inter-Island Travel

Vaccination passports are being pitched as the new “golden ticket” in a dystopic post-COVID world if you want to travel – now that the recovery is on its way. 

Countries in Europe are already requiring travelers to use vaccine passports – usually taking the form of certificates or digital cards of past COVID tests and vaccination history – an idea catching on in tourist nations like Thailand and the Caribbean. But also, much closer to home, Hawaii state officials are considering steps to implement vaccine passports for inter-island travel and likely one day require, to some degree, out of state travelers to have a health passport to revive the local economy that has sustained severe economic damage in its tourism and travel industry. 

Local news KHON2 said state officials could soon roll out a health passport app that details vaccination history. Lt. Gov. Josh Green confirmed an app is in development called “First Vitals.” Officials have discouraged inter-island travel as the U.S.’s only archipelago state composed of eight islands in the North Pacific Ocean was forced to deal with a massive influx of travelers from outside the state during the pandemic. Many folks who flocked to Hawaii were escaping the pandemic or took advantage of cheap flights. 

Like existing COVID passes issued by other countries, Hawaii’s vaccine passport will provide officials with a QR code to authenticate the users’ vaccination history. 

Keep reading

Buttigieg Pushes For ‘Mileage Tax’ On American Drivers To Fund Biden Policies

Biden regime Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has indicated that he may push for a mileage tax on Americans that will require them to pay the government for traveling too much. The move would help pay for Biden’s $3 trillion infrastructure bill, and “shows a lot of promise” according to Buttigieg.

When asked by an NBC reporter is he supported a mileage tax, Buttigieg said, “I think that shows a lot of promise. If we believe in that so-called user-pays principle, the idea that part of how we pay for roads is you pay based on how much you drive.”

“The gas tax used to be the obvious way to do it; it’s not anymore,” Buttigieg added. “So, a so-called vehicle miles traveled tax or a mileage tax, whatever you want to call it, could be the way to do it.”

Keep reading

John Kerry Accepted Environmental Award In Iceland After Arriving In Private Jet

President Joe Biden’s newly appointed climate czar John Kerry reportedly took a private jet to Iceland in 2019 to receive the Arctic Circle award, Fox News reported.

Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, head of the Arctic Circle Roundtable, reportedly challenged Kerry on his use of a private jet to travel to Iceland in order to accept the award, Fox News reported.

“I understand that you came here with a private jet. Is that an environmental way to travel?” Grímsson asked Kerry, Fox News reported. Kerry explained it as a necessity for “somebody like me” and touted his career-long efforts in fighting climate change, citing the Paris Climate Agreement as an example.

“If you offset your carbon — it’s the only choice for somebody like me who is traveling the world to win this battle,” Kerry told Grímsson, Fox News reported.  “And, I believe, the time it takes me to get somewhere, I can’t sail across the ocean. I have to fly, meet with people and get things done,” he added.

Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas called Kerry out in a tweet after the Fox News story broke, saying “this hypocrisy is remarkable.”

Keep reading

CDC—No Longer Constrained By Trump—Issues Order That Makes Not Wearing A Mask On Public Transportation A Federal Crime

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, no longer restricted by the Trump administration, issued an extensive federal public health order late Friday requiring all individuals to wear masks over their mouth and nose on nearly all forms of public transportation and private ride-sharing services—and makes refusal to wear a face-covering a violation of federal law.

Keep reading

‘On the Table’ – Pete Buttigieg Says Gasoline Tax Hike Possible

A hike in the tax on gasoline is one possible revenue burden facing American motorists, President Joe Biden’s secretary of transportation nominee Pete Buttigieg told a Senate panel on Thursday.

The revelation came after former South Bend (Indiana) Mayor Pete Buttigieg was asked by Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida during his confirmation hearing about possible tax hikes.

“I think all options need to be on the table,” Buttigieg said, according to Roll Call.

“As you know, the gas tax has not been increased since 1993, and it’s never been pegged to inflation, and that is one of the reasons why the current state of the Highway Trust Fund is that there’s more going out than coming in.”

Keep reading

Biden signs executive order seeking the feasibility of implementing ‘certificates of vaccination’ for international travel

President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Thursday which may be the precursor to requiring proof of vaccination for air travel.

The executive order was entitled “Promoting COVID-19 Safety in Domestic and International Travel.” Section 5 ‘International Travel’ subsection ‘e’ the order read:

“International Certificates of Vaccination or Prophylaxis.  Consistent with applicable law, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of HHS, and the Secretary of Homeland Security (including through the Administrator of the TSA), in coordination with any relevant international organizations, shall assess the feasibility of linking COVID-19 vaccination to International Certificates of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP) and producing electronic versions of ICVPs.”

The order also called for “agencies may impose additional public health measures for domestic travel.”

The order also mandates masks on airplanes, trains, ferries, ships, bus services and inside airports.

Keep reading

BWI Airport Embraces LiDAR To Enforce Social Distancing

Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) has welcomed in the new year with Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology informing travelers at one security checkpoint whether they’re properly social distancing, according to Airport World.

The LiDAR technology measures travelers’ movements with laser sensors, including the number of people waiting in line. Automated tracking software firm CrowdVision installed the new sophisticated technology at Security Checkpoint B of BWI.

The system notifies travelers on a giant screen whether social distancing is satisfactory. If lines at the security checkpoint are too dense, the system will encourage those waiting in line to practice more social distancing.

“Safe, healthy travel remains our priority,” said BWI’s executive director, Ricky Smith.

“Since the outset of the pandemic, BWI Marshall Airport has implemented many measures to help protect passengers and employees. This innovation provides real-time data on passenger flow so we can notify travelers and manage separation,” Smith said. 

Among other global airports, BWI could be one of the first to embrace LiDAR technology to enforce social distancing.

Keep reading

Airline Won’t Allow People To Fly Without COVID Vaccine

Qantas will not allow passengers on international flights unless they have been vaccinated against COVID-19 prior to departure.

The Austrlian airline’s chief executive, Alan Joyce, has stated that he believes a vaccine will become ‘a necessity’ once the jab is rolled out, not just for Quantas but for other airlines too.

The majority of Qantas’s international routes are currently suspended on account of the ongoing closure of Australia’s borders to non-residents. It’s expected that most of these routes won’t be reopened until sometime in the middle of next year.

Keep reading

D.B. COOPER HIJACKING: THE ENDURING MYSTERY OF AMERICA’S ONLY UNSOLVED SKYJACKING CASE

On the day before Thanksgiving, November 24, 1971, an unremarkable middle-aged man bought a plane ticket under the name Dan Cooper, paid with cash, and boarded the Boeing 727 for a short afternoon flight from Portland to Seattle.

He sat by himself in the back row of Northwest Orient Flight 305.

He ordered a bourbon and soda, and slipped a note to flight attendant Florence Schaffner shortly after takeoff.

Schaffner assumed it was just another passenger slipping her his phone number and slipped it into her pocket. Cooper urged her to read it.

On the note, Cooper had written, “Miss, I have a bomb here. I want you to sit by me.”

Keep reading