Florida’s surgeon general issued a directive Thursday requiring people seeking Covid-19 vaccines to be permanent or seasonal residents of the state, amid concerns that foreign visitors were flying in to secure shots.
[Here’s the list of vaccination sites listed by the State of Florida]
In a public health advisory, Surgeon General Scott Rivkees said Floridians should receive priority for vaccines. All shot providers must now ensure recipients are full- or part-time residents of the state, by requiring documentation such as driver licenses or mortgage statements. The only exception is for health-care providers who have direct contact with patients.
“The Covid-19 vaccine remains scarce within the U.S., and vaccine availability in Florida is extremely limited,” Mr. Rivkees said.
The move came after concerns raised by some officials and residents that Florida was a target of so-called vaccine tourism. They feared that visitors were taking advantage of the state’s decision in December to make the vaccine available to people age 65 and older, including nonresidents.
The stories of two Argentine women who secured vaccines while visiting Miami—one of them for herself, the other for her mother—provoked an outcry. A private jet service provider in Canada said some clients were expressing interest in short-term flights to Florida to get shots.
