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Businesses operating in Texas prohibited from requiring vaccine 'passports'

(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

FILE - In this Friday, Jan. 15, 2021 file photo, a syringe filled with the a COVID-19 vaccine is seen alongside its batch number and a patient's vaccination card at a vaccination site in the East Harlem neighborhood of New York. <br/>

By: Khadeeja Umana

Posted at 12:25 PM, Jun 07, 2021

and last updated 2021-06-07 13:31:26-04

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. https://t.co/ukPxNQ2pAt
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) June 7, 2021

Governor Abbott announced that he will be effectively signing a law today banning any businesses operating in Texas to require proof of vaccination.

This is just after the executive order signed on April 5, which banned the state and some businesses from requiring proof of vaccination - or a vaccine 'passport'.

According to the signed executive order - a resident's COVID-19 vaccination status is private health information and the constitution does not allow the federal government to mandate vaccine passports nationwide.

The announcement via Twitter was in response to questions about whether the Carnival Cruise Line setting sail from Galveston will be allowed to require passengers to show proof of vaccination.

The cruise line's policy requires guests to be fully vaccinated per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines.

"Texas is open 100% without any restrictions or limitations or requirements," said Abbott.