Gov. Greg Abbott is doubling down on his push to ensure COVID-19 vaccines and mask-wearing remain optional in Texas.
The governor issued an Thursday stating no governmental entity can require anyone to receive a COVID-19 vaccine that鈥檚 approved under an emergency use authorization. (All COVID-19 vaccines approved in the U.S. currently fall under .)
This new order effectively voids all of Abbott鈥檚 previous COVID-related executive orders and combines them into one. The main takeaway: The state and local governments can鈥檛 require masks or vaccines.
鈥淭oday鈥檚 executive order will provide clarity and uniformity in the Lone Star State鈥檚 continued fight against COVID-19,鈥� Abbott said in a press release. 鈥淭he new Executive Order emphasizes that the path forward relies on personal responsibility rather than government mandates.鈥�
The order repeats previously instated measures: Governments can鈥檛 mandate COVID-related operating limits on businesses or require face coverings. School districts cannot mandate masks, either.
State agencies can鈥檛 require people to provide documentation about their COVID vaccination status in order to enter the agency or receive services from it. The same applies to public and private entities that receive public funds (grants, contracts and loans, for example).
鈥淣o consumer may be denied entry to a facility financed in whole or in part by public funds for failure to provide documentation regarding the consumer鈥檚 vaccination status for any COVID-19 vaccine administered under an emergency use authorization,鈥� the order reads.
State-supported living centers, nursing homes and long-term care facilities, though, can still require COVID-19 vaccine documentation from residents. State-supported living centers and government-owned hospitals can still have mask policies.
The new order nulls all previous executive orders except and . It does end an order that required hospitals to postpone elective surgeries if COVID hospitalization get too high in a region.
Thursday鈥檚 order comes as COVID-19 cases surge in the state, fueled by the highly contagious delta variant and waning vaccination rates. So far, 52.44% of people 12 and older in Texas are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Health care workers are again finding themselves by COVID-19 patients, the vast majority of whom are unvaccinated.
Abbott is taking a markedly different approach than some states and federal agencies. Officials in vaccine mandates for public employees this week. At the federal level, the Department of Veterans Affairs is requiring front-line health care workers to get vaccinated.
Despite rising cases and hospitalizations, Abbott he thinks Texans have 鈥渕astered the safe practices鈥� that help stop the spread of COVID-19.
鈥淸Texans] have the individual right and responsibility to decide for themselves and their children whether they will wear masks, open their businesses, and engage in leisure activities,鈥� he said. 鈥淰accines, which remain in abundant supply, are the most effective defense against the virus, and they will always remain voluntary 鈥� never forced 鈥� in the State of Texas.鈥�
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