> current circumstances

As Milton said, "Nothing is so permanent as a temporary government program."

Officials have already hinted that masks, lockdowns, etc. will be implemented (at least seasonally) forever.

To clarify for anyone else like me who haven’t had their coffee, this is Milton Friedman, not John Milton (I figured the lingo sounded a bit too modern).

Milton is a genius, but this particular thing won't continue for the simple reason that, if as in Denmark, you have to be tested 3 times a week to have an always current pass, then the public will notice and be strongly incentivized to care.

And that kills these kinds of programs, unless there is a very good reason.

Well, of course masks and lockdowns will be mandated if needed in the future.

If there's an outbreak of a serious contagious disease then measures deemed necessary when that happens will be implemented. It's nothing sinister, just common sense and that has been the case for centuries.

Do you think governments are going to give up their power after implementing digital passes?

Yes. There is no reason for people to keep being tested all the time for Covid if/when that is no longer a risk. Once/if the risk has passed this will all stop because there is neither a justification nor value for governments to continue.

It's a little paranoid to claim that governments are continuously trying to create totalitarian states. Or that, in any case, they can do what they want, they can't. We already see that with all the debates on these passes and safety measures put in place. They are a hard sell to the public and everyone's watching. There is already huge pressure not to have them for a day longer than absolutely necessary and politically governments will have to stop as soon as possible.

> It's a little paranoid to claim that governments are continuously trying to create totalitarian states.

What in human history makes you think that?

There is evidence of governments using power beyond their intended use to create totalitarian states.