If Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to “fully reopen the economy” in California by June 15, he needs to provide employers, business owners and residents with a vaccine verification method so they can feel safe resuming their normal lives.

California’s economic reopening will still require masks for those who are not vaccinated. The problem is ensuring that they follow the rules. Whether it’s at work, sporting events, movies or grocery stores, Californians deserve the assurance that those around them without masks have been fully vaccinated.

But the governor’s health secretary on Friday told Californians they’re on their own. The state is not going to help. Newsom has had months to develop a secure electronic vaccine passport system and has done nothing.

Newsom’s refusal to develop a passport system sharply contrasts with, for example, New York and Israel, which each have electronic platforms that allow people to quickly provide verification that they’re inoculated against the virus.

Instead, the best the governor is willing to require is verification at large indoor events of 5,000 or more people by showing a paper vaccination slip or, alternatively, a trust-me system of written or oral “self-attestation.”

In a world where a large portion of the population still refuses to get vaccinated and many have openly defied masking requirements, Newsom now expects them to be honest about their vaccination status. That’s not realistic.

And it’s not fair to those who are abiding by the rules. To those who choose not to be vaccinated but continue wearing a mask. To those who cannot be vaccinated because they are immune-compromised or younger than 12. To those who have been vaccinated but recognize it’s not a 100% guarantee against contracting the virus. To those who fear bringing it home to someone who may be especially vulnerable.

Thanks in large part to the widespread availability of vaccines, California has dramatically reduced the spread of COVID-19. But, as Newsom’s health secretary, Dr. Mark Ghaly, said in a press briefing Friday, we will likely see an uptick in cases as the economy reopens. He could have also mentioned the concurrent risk as the virus mutates while spreading rapidly throughout much of the world.

Ghaly was vague about specifics on what verification would be available. While he said the state would not be providing any sort of vaccine passport, he acknowledged that some businesses might offer such systems and said the state will be issuing guidelines for them.

But he didn’t specify whether the state would provide electronic passport providers access, for those who grant permission, to the state’s database of who has been vaccinated. And his spokeswoman did not clarify.

Clearly the easily reproducible paper slips given to people who have been vaccinated are not a good means of ensuring accuracy. Nor is the self-attestation system Ghaly repeatedly mentioned.

We’ve known since the start of the pandemic that economic reopening would eventually come. Here in California, the technology leader of the world, we’ve had plenty of time to develop a secure vaccination verification system.

The governor has dropped the ball.