Texans won’t have to prove they have been vaccinated in order to enter most locations, following Gov. Gregg Abbott’s issuing of a new executive order prohibiting either the state government or local municipalities from instituting such requirements, as well as taxpayer-funded entities.
With the state set to surpass 13 million COVID-19 vaccine doses administered, Abbott said in a video shared to Twitter that the vaccinations are helping Texans return to a sense of normalcy as they slow the spread of the virus, reduce hospitalizations and reduce fatalities.
“But, as I have said all along, these vaccines are always voluntary and never forced,” Abbott said in the video. “Government should not require any Texan to show proof of vaccination and reveal private health information just to go about their daily lives.”
Abbott’s order specifically suspends a portion of the Texas Health and Safety Code “to the extent necessary to ensure that no governmental entity can compel any individual to receive a COVID-19 vaccine administered under an emergency use authorization.”
Along with that, they are also prohibited from requiring anyone to show proof of vaccination, such as a card showing the individual has been vaccinated, in order to either gain entry to a location or receive a public service.
“This paragraph does not apply to any documentation requirements for the administration of a COVID-19 vaccine,” the order states.
The order goes further than just restricting government entities, though, and also applies the same restriction to any public or private entity that receives tax payer-derived funding, including grants or loans, or any facility that was financed with public funds. However, it is specifically state in the order that nursing homes, state-supported living centers, assisted living facilities and long-term care facilities are still able to require proof of a resident’s coronavirus vaccination status.
“We will continue to vaccinate more Texans and protect public health, and we will do so without treading on Texans’ personal freedoms,” Abbott said in the video.