“Nobody can force Texans to get vaccinated.” This is the strong message Republican Governor Greg Abbott sent to Texas corporations.
The exponent of the Trump party has decided to go against the trend with the political line of the White House. In the fight against the pandemic, Abbott first decided to prohibit the use of masks and now to prohibit all employers from requiring proof of vaccination from employees.
The real risk is that this decision becomes a real legal battle with those companies, such as Google, Facebook and American Airlines, which have decided to allow only those who are fully vaccinated to return to the office. Also, these great company, they have no intention of changing their rules and backing down.
However, Texas is increasingly confirmed as the laboratory for the most conservative and counter-current policies on various issues such as abortion or the fight against Covid-19. In the State, the number of deaths due to the virus is now close to 70 thousand, mostly victims of the Delta variant. Only in California is there a worse budget, in a state that, unlike Texas, is among the most severe and rigorous.
“No entity in Texas can force an individual to get vaccinated against Covid – reads the decree passed by Abbott – including employees who oppose it for personal or religious reasons or for medical reasons. The choice of vaccinating for Texans must always be voluntary ». A decision that Biden does not agree with. On the contrary, the US President is preparing to enact new rules to ensure that employers only re-welcome employees who are fully vaccinated or who undergo the anti-Covid test every week.
The pandemic situation in the US is very serious, with an average of 1,800 deaths and 89,000 new cases every day. Just 56% of the population is fully vaccinated and there is a hard core of no vax that appears unshakable even when the race for the third dose, already administered to 7.3 million Americans, has begun.