Governor Glenn Youngkin hit the ground running today, after celebrating his inauguration he set to work immediately signing several executive directives and orders to fulfill campaign promises.
Governor Youngkin Restores Parents Rights In Schools
Two of those executive actions concern Covid 19 regulations. Executive Order #2-2022 “Order of Public Health Emergency One” reaffirms the right of parents in the upbringing, education and care of their children.
The directive defines the priority of children’s health in Virginia but reason’s that recent mask mandates have proven ineffective and impractical, therefore the directive rescinds previous orders established by Governor Ralph Northam requiring masks mandates in schools.
The new directive gives parents the power to choose if their child wears a mask to school or not and requires no need for parents to justify their decision.
Youngkin Rescinds Vaccination Mandate For State Employees
The second executive action concerning Covid rescinds the mandate for State Employees to be required to be fully vaccinated or disclose their vaccination status or engage in mandatory testing.
According to Executive Directive 2-2022 “The Commonwealth of Virginia remains committed to providing a safe workplace for all state employees.”
The directive promises the state will continue to ensure Virginians have “access to the information necessary to make an informed decision about the COVID-19 vaccination and ensure all who desire a vaccination, can obtain one.”
The directive states, “However, the requirement of state employees to receive the COVID-19 vaccination and disclose their vaccination status or engage in mandatory testing is harmful to their individual freedoms and personal privacy.”
One of the nine directives states, “No Executive Branch Employees shall be required to be vaccinated or required to disclose their vaccination status as a condition of their employment.”
These actions were signed and became effective on January 15, 2022.
Full copies of these executive actions can be accessed by clicking the links below.
Colonial Beach News 