On Wednesday, Governor Kathy Hochul (D-N.Y.) signed a bill into law implementing a harsh prison sentence of one year for anyone who is found to have forged COVID-19 vaccine cards in the state of New York, as reported by the Daily Caller.
The bill, formally titled the “Truth In Vaccination Act,” classifies the forgery of physical vaccine cards as a class-D felony, while altering digital vaccination records is now a class-E felony; the former is punishable by up to one year in prison, while the latter carries a sentence of four years in prison.
In a statement celebrating the signing of the law, Governor Hochul claimed that “these new laws will help us improve our response to the pandemic now, crack down on fraudulent use of vaccination records, and help us better understand the areas of improvement we need to make to our health care system so we can be even more prepared down the road.”
Hochul issued a similar statement on Twitter the same day, declaring that “using a fake COVID-19 vaccine card to lie about being vaccinated is a disservice to yourself, to your community, and to the people who are doing everything they can to keep their neighbors safe.”
“It is now a crime in the State of New York,” Hochul’s Tweet concluded.
The law places further restrictions on the lives of New Yorkers, as proof of vaccination is required for all staff and customers to enter public facilities such as gyms, restaurants, and theaters; those who do not show proof of vaccination must wear a mask indoors, and the mandate also requires businesses to enforce these new restrictions. The mandate began on December 13th and is currently set to expire on January 15th, but could be extended beyond that original date if Hochul chooses to do so.