New ordinance from Texas Governor Greg Abbott bans local governments from issuing masks and vaccines

SAINT ANTHONY – As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Texas reach levels not seen since the start of the year, local officials have called on Gov. Greg Abbott to reverse his statewide ban on mask warrants in schools and government buildings.

On Thursday, Abbott responded with a new executive order that does the opposite – further removing tools from local governments to pass policies that public health experts say would help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, including the demands in terms of masks, capacity limits and vaccine mandates.

In a statement, Abbott said the executive order “emphasizes that the way forward rests on personal responsibility rather than government mandates.”

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“Texans have mastered the safe practices that help prevent and avoid the spread of COVID-19,” Abbott said in the statement. “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.”

Under the decree, government entities cannot “compel a person to receive a COVID-19 vaccine administered under an emergency use authorization”. Read the full order at the bottom of this article.

Likewise, “any public or private entity that receives or will receive public funds by any means” cannot require a consumer to provide proof of vaccination in order to receive services or enter. This language is similar to a bill that Abbott signed earlier this summer.

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The new ordinance removes the ability of local authorities to reduce commercial capacity if hospitalizations related to COVID-19 exceed 15% of the region’s total hospital capacity for seven consecutive days.

The executive order also makes it clear that government entities, including school districts, cannot require face masks or enact other restrictions.

Abbott’s tenure comes a day after San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff wrote a letter to the governor asking for permission to allow schools to require face masks .

COVID-19 cases are increasing across Texas and the rest of the country. Texas reported 10,000 new coronavirus infections for the first time since February 9 on Wednesday.

Hospitalizations also increased steadily until July. At the start of the month, around 140 people were hospitalized in Bexar County. That number has more than quadrupled, with 695 COVID-19-related hospitalizations reported Thursday.

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Read the decree below: