DENVER — Starting Friday, anyone over 16 in Colorado can get a COVID-19 vaccine.

For many, that vaccination will provide a path to normalcy and a pre-pandemic way of life.

However, many are wondering whether businesses will be able to require proof of vaccination.

“Everyone wants to feel safe and this is the easiest way to prove that,” said Steve Herr, the General Manager of the Staples store in Glendale.

Herr’s store has been busy laminating COVID-19 vaccination cards. Staples stores nationwide are offering the service free of charge right now.

“Today it was probably close to 45 of them alone,” he said.

Airlines, stadiums, and cruise ships could soon start requiring proof of vaccination. Even Red Rocks has explored the idea.

“I think the industry as a whole is looking at how this might play out,” explained Brian Kitts, with Denver Arts and Venues. “Bluntly though, I don’t think there’s enough time or technology to get this going for this season.”

However, implementing such a system is easier said than done.

Christian Hardigree is the Dean of the School of hospitality at Metropolitan State University in Denver.

She believes airlines and many foreign countries will likely start requiring proof of vaccination, especially for international travel, but says implementing such a system is easier said than done, especially at restaurants, stadiums, and in the workplace.

“In the United States I can’t see Kansas saying you have to have a passport to come to our state. I also think we’re going to see lawsuits. When are you infringing on rights to privacy? Do I have a right to be out in public engaging in these services?” We are the freest country on the planet and the more you try to limit that, the more challenges you’ll have from the population as a whole,”Hardigree said.