The 21-page omnibus COVID-19 bill prohibits mandates.
The final bill said government entities cannot force private businesses to institute a mask mandate or COVID-19 vaccination mandate, and private businesses cannot take action against an employee for not receiving the vaccine and cannot compel an employee or visitor to show proof of vaccination.
“This is a reckless way to legislate” Sen. Jeff Yarbro, D-Nashville, said about the 1 a.m. vote on the measures. Yarbro was part of the Senate conference committee.
The bill allows an opt-out for music venues to allow for proof of vaccination instead of a negative COVID-19 test for admission.
The bill prevents government entities from requiring masks.
“We just passed the Covid protection bill in the House and Senate,” said Rep. Jason Zachary, R-Knoxville, who was part of the House conference committee. “Huge win for the people of Tennessee. Since it is almost 2:30am EST, I’ll provide an update in a few hours.”
Schools would need to go through an intricate process to require masks and only on a school-by-school basis, not district-wide.
A principal would need to request the action, and the state would need to have a health emergency declared along with a rolling 14-day average of 1,000 cases per 100,000 residents. In that case, a school could institute a 14-day mask mandate and would be required to provide children age 12 or older with an N95 mask, along with “age-appropriate” masks for children younger than 12.
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