Austin, TX--Governor Greg Abbott signs a new bill into effect in Austin. This time, he's prohibiting businesses from asking for your vaccine card, "passport," or any other vaccine information.
The Governor has signed a few laws recently that have caused a stir. He fully opened the state--a move many thought was too soon--signed the "heartbeat bill," ends pandemic-related assistance, and indicates he will sign the no handgun permit bill into law.
Governor Abbott takes to Twitter:
On Monday, he says:
"I'm signing a law today that prohibits any business operating in Texas from requiring vaccine passports or any vaccine information. Texas is open 100% without any restrictions or limitations or requirements."
KXAN Austin reports:
"Government should not require any Texan to show proof of vaccination and reveal private health information just to go about their daily lives," he said in a video posted online. "We will continue to vaccinate more Texans and protect public health, and we will do so without treading on Texans' personal freedoms."
Some countries already require a vaccine passport in order to travel. South America, Africa, India, and Asia all likely have to show their ICVPs, but not in Texas and not in businesses. Governor Abbot says the state is 100% open.
Austin business owners are confused about what that can and cannot do under the new law. Business owners can ask their employees for proof their employees have been vaccinated, but they cannot ask for the same proof from their patrons.
Businesses can require employees to show proof of vaccination under the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, but Austin Texas Tribune Reports:
"Texans are returning to normal life as more people get the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine. But as I've said all along, these vaccines are always voluntary and never forced," Abbott said in a video announcing the executive order. "Government should not require any Texan to show proof of vaccination and reveal health information just to go about their daily lives. 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."
In a video statement, Governor Abbott says the vaccine "passport" will not be required to be shown in Texas.
Austin Doctor Natasha Kathuria says that super-spreaders, among the younger population who is not vaccinated yet, are a concern.
A spokesperson for the CDC's Office of Public Relations confirmed in an email statement to Reuters that "HIPAA Rules do not prevent private businesses from requesting that individuals produce the vaccination card to enter" a business. The CDC added: "individuals may choose whether to provide the vaccination card to anyone who asks to see it."
And Austin locals are scratching their heads, wondering what the law means in terms of summer and family travel. Austin-based Texas Tribune reports Carnival Vista is planning to resume sailing out of Galveston, TX, and wonders how the law will affect those plans:
“We are evaluating the legislation recently signed into law in Texas regarding vaccine information,” Carnival spokesperson Vance Gulliksen said in an email, according to the Houston Chronicle. “The law provides exceptions for when a business is implementing COVID protocols in accordance with federal law, which is consistent with our plans to comply with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention’s guidelines.”
But the Governor's new Executive Order seriously constrains private Austin businesses who receive private funding from asking for proof that patrons and visitors have been vaccinated. The Executive Order includes places like nursing homes and possibly schools for the coming school year.
In the meantime, if you are fully vaccinated, you are cautioned against showing pictures of your vaccine care across social media because scammers are using it to steal your identity. Additionally, don't laminate your vaccine card. Do keep it safe, and take a picture for preservation.