Abbott issues new executive order reaffirming no new mask mandates in Texas

(Texas News Radio) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a new executive order Thursday further clarifying and unifying the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The order lays out the state governments current response plan into a single executive order.

In it, it states that no governmental entity can require anyone to receive a coronavirus vaccine nor can they require proof of vaccinations.  They also are not allowed to mandate that someone must wear a mask.  This includes the state government, county and local governments, public health authority, individual government officials, or school districts.  The only exceptions are for state-supported living centers, government-owned hospitals, and jails.

It said there are no coronavirus-related operating limits in Texas.  The order also continues the requirement that COVID-19 data from hospitals and testing centers must continue to sent to the state.

“The new Executive Order emphasizes that the path forward relies on personal responsibility rather than government mandates,” the governor said in a statement. “Texans have mastered the safe practices that help to prevent and avoid the spread of COVID-19. They 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. Vaccines, which remain in abundant supply, are the most effective defense against the virus, and they will always remain voluntary – never forced – in the State of Texas.”