"Papers, please"

I grew up in front of a television set. There wasn't a lot to choose from, but there was a lot of it. 

Every third movie was a war movie, where the un-uniformed were constantly being asked for their papers, usually by a Gestapo agent. "Papers, please," and the suspect would reach into his or her coat and produce a small booklet, other times what looked like a handful of tourist pamphlets, Nazi bureaucracy being what it was. 

As of yesterday we will be asked for our "papers" every time we go into a sit-down restaurant, a movie theatre, an art gallery or a sporting event. Proof of vaccination (against the current enemy -- Covid), but also of our compliance. And by that I don't mean getting vaccinated (which I am in favour of; same with the "passport"), but returning home every time we forget our phone.

"I printed mine and had it laminated," said an elderly neighbour, proudly, before adding, "I have a hole punch, so I ran a string through it and wear it around my neck. See --" and he reached inside his coat and held it up, the string pulling tight against his collar.