Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on Monday issued an executive order banning so-called “vaccine passports” and said a system for those vaccinated against COVID-19 infringes on the rights of citizens.
“Every day, Texans are returning to normal life as more people get the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine. But, as I have said all along, these vaccines are always voluntary and never forced,” Abbott said in the announcement of the executive order. .
“The government should not require a Texan to provide evidence of vaccination and disclose private health information to perform their daily lives,” he added. ‘That’s why I issued an executive order banning the government mandate for vaccine passports in Texas. We will continue to vaccinate more Texans and protect public health – and we will do so without compromising Texas ‘personal freedoms.’
Abbott has come under fire over the past few weeks due to the lifting of a state-wide mask mandate and the handling of a major snowstorm that has left residents without power and heat for days.
Another Republican, Gov. Ron DeSantis
Florida Democratic Mayor Ron DeSantis calls ’60 minutes’ report on vaccine deployment ‘intentionally false’ EPA chief stresses provisions on water improvement in infrastructure bill. of Florida, promised last week to take similar executive steps to prevent companies from requiring vaccine passports before providing services to customers.
“We have always said that we want to provide it for everyone, but do not instruct anyone,” DeSantis said. “And it was something that, although it was advised to take especially if you are vulnerable, we will not force you to do so.”
DeSantis calls it “completely unacceptable for the government or the private sector to require you to show proof of vaccine in order to simply participate in normal society.”
Monday, Anthony Fauci
Anthony FauciOvernight Health Care: 46 cases of COVID-19 linked to one indoor bar event in rural Illinois | CDC says the risk of COVID-19 transmission on surfaces 1 in 10,000 | Fauci suggests that no federal mandate for vaccine passports says Twitter has wrongly suspended Marjorie Taylor Greene’s account for a second time. Fauci says federal government should no longer issue vaccine passports, the country’s leading expert on infectious diseases, said the federal government would not commission documentation of COVID-19 vaccinations.
“I doubt that the federal government will be the main engine of a draft vaccine passport,” Fauci said. “They may be involved in ensuring that things are done fairly and equitably, but I doubt the federal government will be the most important element of that.”