TEXAS, USA — President Joe Biden’s administration announced that employees of all federal contractors must be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Dec. 8, but it's hard to navigate in a state where vaccine mandates are banned.
According to a report from The Texas Tribune, many Texas public universities, specifically, are unsure of which order to follow. The University of Texas System released a statement saying universities “will make every effort to accommodate employees’ personal situations.”
“We will endeavor to comply with federal vaccine requirements for specific, covered individuals to protect these investments in our state,” spokesperson Karen Adler said in a statement to the Tribune.
President Biden issued his executive order in September. It states that contractors with the federal government must require all employees to get vaccinated.
It also would require employers with more than 100 workers to test unvaccinated workers weekly for the coronavirus.
Abbott issued an executive order earlier this month banning any Texas entity from requiring COVID-19 vaccines. He said it applies to both employees, customers and any individual “who objects to such vaccination for any reason of personal conscience, based on a religious belief, or for medical reasons, including prior recovery from COVID-19.”
Not complying with the order can result in a maximum fine of $1,000.
According to the Tribune’s report, Texas Tech University is talking with lawyers to see what contracts “would trigger” the vaccine requirement. It also told the Tribune it is asking for guidance from the state’s attorney general’s office.
Texas A&M University has about 500 contracts with the federal government, according to the report, worth $2 billion. A university spokesperson said Texas A&M is still evaluating what to do.
Baylor University, Texas State University and Southern Methodist University have also received federal contracts in the past, according to the report.
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