Senate votes to bar any future COVID-19 mask, vaccine mandates in Texas

AUSTIN – Local Texas governments and public schools wouldn’t be able to require face masks, vaccinations or business closures to fight COVID-19 under a bill the GOP-led Senate approved Monday.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Gov. Greg Abbott named such policy a priority. In a statement, Patrick said the measures will prevent local governments from ever again taking “extreme measures to shut down businesses, schools and houses of worship.”

The legislation, which also applies to the state, passed 20-11 largely along party lines with no debate. It now heads to the House.

Coronavirus restrictions sparked a political backlash largely

While Abbott ordered business shutdowns and a statewide mask mandate in the early months of the pandemic, the third-term Republican later barred such actions, including at the local level. Texas never had a statewide COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Three years into the pandemic, roughly 64% of Texans are fully vaccinated, according to state data.

Public health experts say encouraging vaccination, masking and other social distancing measures were important in slowing the spread of coronavirus and ensuring hospitals did not overflow. The bill was opposed by The Texas Medical Association, which warned at a public hearing that it would strip the government of critical tools that could be needed if a more deadly coronavirus strain develops.