Abbott signs order restricting coronavirus vaccination mandates, passports

AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed an executive order Monday that restricts the ability to require coronavirus vaccinations and so-called vaccination passports.

According to the order, no governmental entity can require a person to receive a COVID-19 shot. State agencies are also prohibited from requiring people to provide proof of a vaccination as a condition of receiving a service or entering a place. The order also applies to any public or private entity that is receiving public funds “in whole or in part.”

The proof-of-vaccination order does not apply to nursing homes, state-supported living centers, assisted living facilities or long-term care facilities. Those places can still require a resident to provide proof of their vaccination status.

In a tweet, Abbott said the order is meant to protect a person’s private health information and personal freedoms.

“Government should not require any Texan to show proof of vaccination and reveal private health information just to go about their daily lives,” Abbott said. “That is why I have issued an Executive Order that prohibits government-mandated vaccine passports in Texas. We will continue to vaccinate more Texans and protect public health -- and we will do so without treading on Texans’ personal freedoms.”

You can read Abbott’s executive order here.

This developing story will be updated.