Texas governor bans COVID-19 vaccine mandates regardless of approval status

Consider the goalposts moved.

Just days after the FDA approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) issued an executive order on Wednesday banning any governmental entity in the state from requiring a COVID-19 vaccine, regardless of its approval status.

It marks a change from the governor’s previous executive order, which banned mandates for vaccines administered under an emergency use authorization.

It did not mention employer mandates and preserves exceptions for places such as nursing homes, long-term care facilities and state-supported living centers.

What’s next: Abbott asked the state legislature to consider whether state and local governments can mandate vaccines, and if so, what exemptions can apply. Texas lawmakers are currently convening in a special session. The House restored a quorum last week when enough Democrats returned to the state after staging a nearly six-week protest of the GOP’s elections bill.