Governor Greg Abbott bans COVID vaccine mandates for private businesses

Texas Governor Greg Abbott is clamping down all the way. The newest executive order from his office stipulates that vaccine mandates are not allowed anywhere in Texas from both a public and private entity standpoint.

It’s indicated this is being done because the Governor believes these vaccination mandates are causing more of a disruption to the state than the pandemic itself at this point.

"I issued an Executive Order prohibiting vaccine mandates by ANY entity in Texas. I also added the issue to the Special Session agenda. The COVID-19 vaccine is safe, effective, & our best defense against the virus, but should always remain voluntary & never forced."

(Read the executive order from Governor Greg Abbott here.)

The legal language translates to Abbott explaining how he’s routinely made sure that both the disaster proclamation for the state of Texas overall, as well as for the individual counties, has been ongoing. It’s intended to convey that the Governor’s office has been consistent in monitoring the situation.

(On that note in late September Greg Abbott revealed he was able to secure his own supply of COVID antibody treatments.)

The most important element of the executive order is as follows:

"No entity in Texas can compel receipt of a COVID-19 vaccine by any individual, including an employee or a consumer, who objects to such vaccination for any reason of personal conscience, based on a religious belief, or for medical reasons, including prior recovery from COVID-19. I hereby suspend all relevant statutes to the extent necessary to enforce this prohibition."

It’s the latest in a series of executive orders. What’s different about this one is that the executive order at the end of August banned vaccine mandates for government entities. This newest one states this was necessary in response to the sweeping vaccine mandate announced by the Biden administration for workplaces in early September.

Governor Abbott also added the item to the Third Special Session agenda for the state legislature, and says the "executive order will be rescinded upon the passage of such legislation."