Texas Gov. Greg Abbott bans ‘any entity’ from enforcing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order banning “any entity” in the state from enforcing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

“The COVID-19 vaccine is safe, effective, and our best defense against the virus, but should remain voluntary and never forced,” Abbott said in a press release Monday.

Abbott’s executive order prohibits “any entity” in the state from compelling an individual to receive a COVID-19 vaccine “who objects to such vaccination for any reason of personal conscience.”

The order applies to both employees and consumers who refuse to receive the vaccine due to “religious belief, or for medical reasons, including prior recovery from COVID-19.”

The order will also “supersede any conflicting order” that has already been made by local jurisdictions, authorizing the “maximum fine” allowed under Texas law for any entity that fails to comply with the order.- READ MORE