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Austin, Texas – Governor Greg Abbott issued another executive order Thursday to clarify the state’s response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
GA-38 combines several of Abbott’s existing COVID-19 executive orders into one with the aim of providing “clarity and consistency in the Lone Star State’s ongoing battle against COVID-19”.
“The new executive order emphasizes that the way forward depends on personal responsibility and not on state mandates. Texans have mastered the safe practices that will help prevent and avoid the spread of COVID-19, ”Governor Abbott said in a statement. “They have the individual right and responsibility to decide for themselves and their children whether they wear masks, open their shops and pursue leisure activities. Vaccines, which are still abundant, are the most effective protection against the virus, and it “will always remain voluntary – never forced – in the state of Texas.”
The increase in COVID cases has led the CDC to revise its mask guidelines
With the school year restarting, the CDC aims to slow the spread of the virus by recommending people in areas with high transmission wear masks.
The order deals with the following topics on hospital stays, tests, vaccinations, masks and occupancy and operating limits for companies:
- All Texas licensed and state hospitals, with the exception of psychiatric hospitals, are required to submit daily reports of bed capacity to the DSHS for submission to the CDC
- Any public or private entity that uses FDA-approved COVID-19 tests, including those approved for emergency use, must submit daily reports of all positive and negative tests to the DSHS and the local health department for submission to the CDC
- No government agency can force someone to have a COVID-19 vaccine given as part of an emergency clearance
- Government and local authorities cannot require anyone to provide evidence of their COVID-19 vaccination status as a condition for using services or entering a location
- Any public or private entity receiving public funding cannot require consumers to provide evidence of their COVID-19 vaccination status as a condition of using services or entering a location
- No consumer can be denied access to facilities that are fully or partially financed by public funds because they cannot prove their COVID-19 vaccination status
- No COVID-19 operational limits for companies or institutions
- Individuals are encouraged to follow safe practices such as masks and social distancing in areas with high levels of COVID-19 transmission, but no jurisdiction can require the wear of masks
- Public schools can operate under the minimum standard health protocols under the guidance of the TEA, and private schools and colleges and universities are encouraged to do the same
- County and community prisons should follow the Texas Commission on Jail Standards guidelines for visits
FOX 7 Discussion: CDC recommends K-12 students wear masks
Education President Austin Ken Zafiris speaks with Mike Warren of FOX 7 Austin about the CDC’s recommendation that K-12 students wear masks in the classroom.
The order also looked at what local government agencies and officials can do as well:
- Local government must not impose conflicting or inconsistent restrictions on business activities or legal proceedings, or face fines of up to $ 1,000
- No government official or agency can require the wearing of masks except in hospitals, state-sponsored residential centers, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, and all county and community prisons that have appropriate guidelines in place
- Prison sentences are not allowed as a punishment for violating the Enforcement Order, and any local ordinance that provides for a prison sentence as a punishment for violating a COVID-19-related order will be superseded by Abbott’s Enforcement Order
The implementing regulation also states that nursing homes, government-funded residential centers, assisted living facilities and long-term care facilities can request documentation of a resident’s COVID-19 vaccination status. These facilities are also asked to follow instructions from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to visit and follow infection control guidelines and practices.
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OTHER HEADINGS:
Two Austin hospitals require COVID-19 vaccinations for employees
Mayor Adler calls for COVID vaccines to be mandatory for city workers
COVID-19 Hospital Admissions in Texas Show 150% Increase Last Month
As COVID-19 cases rise in Texas, officials urge everyone to wear masks and stay at home unvaccinated residents
What makes the delta variant of COVID-19 so different?
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