World Series - Tampa Bay Rays v Los Angeles Dodgers - Game One
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 20: Governor of Texas Greg Abbott looks on prior to Game One of the 2020 MLB World Series at Globe Life Field between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Tampa Bay Rays on October 20, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Prioritizing personal freedom and his people's private choices, Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered on Tuesday to ban the state government and private entities from imposing COVID-19 vaccine passports in accessing services.

The Texas governor used his executive power to establish choices for his people despite the public health campaigns and vaccine passports pushed by the United States government and some business groups.

According to ABC News, the order of Abbott denies agencies and political subdivisions in the state, private, and public organizations that receive public funding in Texas to require individuals to have proof that they have taken vaccines against coronavirus. The mandate of Abbott also stated that it will override any contradicting local executive orders. He also called Texas lawmakers to put consideration on the order while they are taking up COVID-19 requirements in their current session.

Moreover, in a statement when he announced the order, Gov. Abbott shared that they will be continuing the vaccination for more people of Texas as one of their priorities is to protect public health. He also added that they will do it without stepping into the personal freedoms of Texans. Abbott also emphasized that the United States Constitution does not empower the federal government in mandating proof of vaccination, Forbes reported.

In addition, the Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, issued an executive order on Friday similar to the one established in Texas. The order of DeSantis bans businesses from requiring their customers to show any proof that they have been inoculated against coronavirus in availing services. Also, the order stated that any government agency in Florida is barred from issuing documentation that provides proof of vaccinations.

But the White House has rolled out a national 'vaccine passport' and sent its development to the private sectors, which will create a system for individuals to prove that they have been vaccinated. While the system is being developed, the Biden administration is also developing guidelines for those passports, which considers privacy, accuracy, and equity.

Meanwhile, some countries are also setting up their national databases, which allow their people to pick up their jobs and go back to normal activities after inoculation. However, the White House mentioned that they will not utilize that kind of system in the country as they eye on the vaccine passports instead, NBC reported.

Current Health Status

Furthermore, health officials in the state of Texas reported 4,167 new confirmed coronavirus cases on Tuesday. The 1,580 additional unreported cases put the total cases of the state to more than 2.8 million.

Based on the recent data available in the state, out of the 69,241 active cases in Texas, 2,882 required hospitalization on Monday. The number was 110 more hospitalizations compared to Sunday.

The data from John Hopkins University shows that the 73 recent COVID-19 deaths pushed the death toll of the state to 48,748. Over the past two weeks, there were 172 new cases per 100,000 individuals, which ranks 36th in the country in terms of new cases per capita. The rolling average number of daily new cases decreased by 721.3 in the past two weeks, a decrease of 19.6% based on the data of the said university.