With the CDC allowing those who are fully vaccinated the option to go into the world without their masks, the question of how hospitals, retailers, and businesses are going to prove that said people are vaccinated has been brought up. Doctors stated that it’s impossible to tell whether someone is vaccinated or not. As a result, they are leaving it to the honor system.
To ask the public to simply put good faith in their fellow man is an extremely optimistic approach for the government. One that may inevitably complicate things. Many experts have expressed concern over the lack of verification needed to prove a person is fully vaccinated. As stated by Michael McCullough, a professor at the University of California,
In some ways, this is a really perfect recipe for lots of people to be dishonest about whether they got vaccinated. They can say, well, everyone who really is worried about it has gone out and done it, and my personal risk is low.
This may not even simply apply to those who are anti-mask or COVID-deniers. Even everyday people may lie about their vaccination status if they consider it to be “harmless.” Let’s say you just drove thirty minutes to the store only to realize you accidently left your mask at home.
Would you be willing to make the drive back, wasting time and gas money? Or would you be tempted to lie because “it’s only a quick trip?” "Most of the time, we don’t lie for malicious reasons," stated Prof. Kang Lee at the University of Toronto, "We lie sometimes for pro-social reasons.”
These reasons can include telling someone what they want to hear or avoiding uncomfortable situations. With proof of vaccination being placed on the honor system, it provides a low-risk environment for people to get away with lying about their vaccination status. This not only puts them at risk, but also risks the health and lives of other unvaccinated people.
While tempting to rely on good faith in our fellow man, studies clearly show that the human race isn’t as honest as we would like to believe. If procedures for proper verification aren't put in place, this could complicate our fight to stop the spread of COVID in the future.